mar 21, 1960 - 1960 - Sharpeville massacre

Description:

The Sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 March 1960 at the police station in the township of Sharpeville in South Africa. After demonstrating against a new apartheid law, a crowd of about 7,000 mostly black protesters went to the police station.

The South African Police opened fire on the crowd when the crowd started advancing toward the fence around the police station. There were 249 victims in total, including 29 children, with 69 people killed and 180 injured. Some were shot in the back as they fled.

This event trigged an international response to pressure South Africa. Nations agreed to try and boycott sports with South Africa as there were no mixed race international teams.

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