Sharpville Massacre 1960

• ANC's Freedom Charter and cooperation with other races/groups angered young black activists (also because of a lack of success); Robert Sobukwe left ANC in 1959 to form Pan-African Conference (PAC)
• PAC was a completely African resistance movement, the black nationalists fought for freedom from colonialism
• PAC and ANC campaigned against Pass laws, in 1959 ANC announced single-day anti-pass marches, the PAC called for a mass civil disobedience demonstration at Sharpeville on 21 March 1960
• PAC crowd refused to carry passes and demanded to be arrested at the police station, after a minor scuffle the police suddenly opened fire; 69 killed and 180 wounded also at Langa (demonstration attacked), 2 killed and 49 wounded
• Internal Opposition: Massive funerals for victims, PAC and ANC abandoned non-violence, turning to militancy and creating abroad HQs, passbooks burned nationwide and many stay-at-home protests
• Judicial Response: 18,000 were arrested, and despite the courts deciding the shooting was unlawful nothing was done, government more powerful than its legal system
• Government Response: ANC and PAC banned
• International Response: Oliver Tambo gained international support for ANC, UN sanctions were imposed leading to investor withdrawal and young Africans left to train as guerillas in China, the USSR, and independent African countries
• International Response: Anti-apartheid groups established in various countries, including Britain and the British Commonwealth Conference criticised South Africa, leading to its departure