1981 Springbok Tour Protests- Background
The Springbok Rugby team's tour of Aotearoa, New Zealand in 1981 brought forward issues around racism and specifically, apartheid in South Africa. Thousands of people viewed the Springbok tour as an opportunity to isolate South African sport and call for a change in South African legislation concerning apartheid.
Throughout July, August and September in 1981, over a period of 56 days, New Zealand was divided with people taking either a pro-tour or anti-apartheid approach. The protests that followed this resulted in New Zealand's most immense civil unrest since the 1951 Waterfront Strike, with over 200 demonstrations being held involving 150,000 people, culminating in 1500 people receiving charges from offences cognate to these protests.
New Zealand's national sport took a back seat position in winter, 1981, with issues of racism and the quality of life of dark skinned people in South Africa, drawing unified support from many people across the two countries, with the movement led by HART (Halt All Racist Tours) in New Zealand. Our Kiwi identity scarcely peregrinate from a rugby mad nation to a country that had an intense belief in contemporary issues and was seeking ways to do something about the iniquities occurring across the globe.
In the 1981 Springbok Tour of New Zealand, there were a range of causes and consequences which led it to become one of the most dividing events in New Zealand history.
Source: www.nzhistory.net.nz
Throughout July, August and September in 1981, over a period of 56 days, New Zealand was divided with people taking either a pro-tour or anti-apartheid approach. The protests that followed this resulted in New Zealand's most immense civil unrest since the 1951 Waterfront Strike, with over 200 demonstrations being held involving 150,000 people, culminating in 1500 people receiving charges from offences cognate to these protests.
New Zealand's national sport took a back seat position in winter, 1981, with issues of racism and the quality of life of dark skinned people in South Africa, drawing unified support from many people across the two countries, with the movement led by HART (Halt All Racist Tours) in New Zealand. Our Kiwi identity scarcely peregrinate from a rugby mad nation to a country that had an intense belief in contemporary issues and was seeking ways to do something about the iniquities occurring across the globe.
In the 1981 Springbok Tour of New Zealand, there were a range of causes and consequences which led it to become one of the most dividing events in New Zealand history.
Source: www.nzhistory.net.nz