Monthly Archives: March 2012

The Poll Tax Riot and the burning of the South African Embassy

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Gavin Brown

Trafalgar Square has been a focus for protest and dissent since the 19th Century.  This blog focuses on the history of the Non-Stop Picket of the South African Embassy in Trafalgar Square in the late 1980s, but the square is … Continue reading →

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An archive of petty harassment

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Gavin Brown

Over recent weeks I have found myself reading over and over an internal document written for the City of London Anti-Apartheid Group in January 1990.  The document is entitled Record of Police Harassment on and around the NSP, 28th September … Continue reading →

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14 Days in Brixton Prison for fighting apartheid

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Gavin Brown

The anniversaries are coming thick and fast at the moment and it is not always possible to mark them on time.  In the course of a busy week zipping up and down the country last week, I nearly missed this … Continue reading →

Posted in Archival research | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Remembering Sharpeville

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Gavin Brown

On 21 March 1960 69 unarmed protestors were shot dead by South African Police at Sharpeville.  They were participating in a demonstration called by the Pan-Africanist Congress against the pass laws, a central facet of the apartheid regime, that regulated … Continue reading →

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Where are the Irish? The geography of a blog’s readership

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Gavin Brown

WordPress have recently updated the statistical information they provide for bloggers.  It is now possible not only to count the number of visitors to a site, but to map where they come from.  The geographical statistics for this blog make … Continue reading →

Posted in Dissemination, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Marching for Mandela

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Gavin Brown

On 14 March 1987 5000 people marched six miles across London on the ‘March for Mandela’ called by the City of London Anti-Apartheid Group.  The demonstration started at Whittington Park in North London and ended at the Non-Stop Picket of … Continue reading →

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LSE Occupied… (against apartheid, March 1987)

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Gavin Brown

In March 1987, students occupied the main administration building at the London School of Economics demanding that the College disinvested from (companies profiting from) apartheid South Africa.  Their occupation of Connaught House attempted to pressurize the LSE Court of Governors to withdraw £1.7million … Continue reading →

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Workshop Announcement: (Re)thinking Protest Camps: governance, spatiality, affect and media

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Gavin Brown

Booking is now open for this free one day workshop, “(Re)thinking Protest Camps: governance, spatiality, affect and media” to be held on Tuesday 26 June 2012 at the University of Leicester, UK.  To reserve a place please complete this online form. … Continue reading →

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Synchronous rhythms: what was it about 24 February… ?

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Gavin Brown

I wrote recently about the complex temporal rhythms that marked time on the Non-Stop Picket, noting that certain dates in the calendar structured the political life of anti-apartheid activism.  So, for instance, rallies and special events were regularly held on … Continue reading →

Posted in Archival research | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments