The Non-Stop Picket of the South African embassy in London was non-stop. It didn’t stop for Christmas. The members and supporters of the City of London Anti-Apartheid Group maintained the Picket for four Christmases in the late 1980s. This time last year I posted a story about Christmas on the Non-Stop Picket. Since then, we have discovered several more photos recording Christmas Day on the Picket in different years. Each shows a former South African political prisoner playing the role of ‘Father Freedom’. Their traditional Santa costume is edged with black, green and gold braid and adorned with badges and slogans from the anti-apartheid struggle.
David Kitson as Father Freedom, Christmas Day 1987 (Source: City Group)
Zoilile Keke of the Pan-Africanist Congress as Father Freedom, Christmas Day 1988 (Source: City Group)
Do you have stories to share about Christmas on the Non-Stop Picket?
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