The Sharpeville Massacre of 1960, or the Sharpeville Shootings, was a bloody confrontation between police and anti-apartheid protestors. The roots of the conflict date back to the 1800s, a time when the South African government began instituting a number of pass laws restricting the movement of black South Africans.

Under the pass laws, black South Africans were required to carry passbooks (or identification) at all times. These restrictions were progressively tightened in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

In March 1960, political liberation group the Pan African Congress (PAC) urged black South Africans to descend on local police stations - without their passbooks, without weapons, and without violence - to protest the tightening of these laws.

On the 21st of March, in the township of Sharpeville, after a tense morning of confrontation the peaceful protest turned violent. What began as a scuffle exploded into an all out brawl. Police began firing into a crowd of about 20,000 protestors; leave 69 black South Africans fatally shot and some 180 people injured.

The aftermath of the Sharpeville Massacre was overwhelming. Across the country, blacks responded with demonstrations, strikes, and riots, which was meant by a government declared a State of Emergency. The Massacre is seen as a definitive point in modern South African history, as news of the event reached the international community. This prompted the United Nation to consider further actions against the South African government for its excessive forces against the black population.

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Text by Adam Sewall