What triggered the Sharpeville Massacre?

The Sharpeville Massacre was triggered by a peaceful protest against the apartheid pass laws in South Africa in 1960.

The Sharpeville Massacre, a tragic event in South Africa's history, occurred on 21st March 1960. The incident was sparked by a peaceful protest against the apartheid pass laws, which were a cornerstone of the apartheid system. These laws required black South Africans to carry passbooks (also known as 'dompas') at all times when outside designated areas, limiting their freedom of movement. The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), a breakaway faction of the African National Congress (ANC), organised a campaign against these laws, urging black South Africans to leave their passbooks at home and present themselves for arrest at the nearest police station.

On that fateful day, a crowd of about 5,000 to 7,000 protesters converged on the local police station in the township of Sharpeville, near Vereeniging in the Transvaal. The protesters were largely peaceful, singing and offering themselves up for arrest for not carrying their passbooks. However, the police were heavily armed and nervous. The situation escalated when a scuffle broke out at the front of the crowd and a policeman was accidentally knocked over. The police responded with panic and opened fire on the crowd, killing 69 people and injuring 180 others, many shot in the back while trying to flee.

The Sharpeville Massacre marked a turning point in South African history. The brutal response of the police to a peaceful protest shocked the world and highlighted the violent nature of the apartheid regime. The event led to a hardening of attitudes on both sides. The government declared a state of emergency and banned both the ANC and the PAC, while the ANC and PAC abandoned their policy of non-violence, marking the beginning of a violent struggle against apartheid. The massacre also drew international attention to South Africa's apartheid policies, leading to increased pressure on the South African government to end apartheid.