Arms Embargo

Over 3000 people marched through Glasgow on 5 March 1977 calling for a strict arms embargo against South Africa and a freeze on British investment there. Among the speakers at a rally were Duma Nokwe of the African National Congress, the General Secretary of the Scottish TUC James Milne and Rev. Geoff Shaw, Convenor of Strathclyde Regional Council. The event was organised by the AAM Scottish Committee to coincide with a demonstration in London the following day.

Leaflet publicising a rally in Trafalgar Square on 6 March 1977 calling on the British government to impose a strict arms embargo on South Afria and halt all new investment there. The speakers included representatives of all the main Southern African liberation movements, Duma Nokwe (ANC), Misheke Muyongo (SWAPO), Dzinga Mutumbuko (ZANU) and Daniel Madzimbamutu (ZAPU), as well as Pauline Webb, representing the World Council of Churches, Labour MP Joan Lestor and Abdul Minty (AAM).

Trade union banners on a march to Trafalgar Square calling for an end to British arms sales to South Africa and a freeze on investment, 6 March 1977. 

Southampton University Student Union banner on a march to Trafalgar Square calling for an end to British arms sales to South Africa and a freeze on investment, 6 March 1977. 

Trade union banners on a march to Trafalgar Square calling for an end to British arms sales to South Africa and a freeze on investment, 6 March 1977.

Labour MP Joan Lestor addressed an AAM rally in Trafalgar Square, 6 March 1977. She said that British firms invested in South Africa because cheap black labour produced high profit rates. Also on the platform (left to right) are AAM Chair Bob Hughes MP, Neil Kinnock MP, SWAPO representative Shapua Kaukungua, Joan Lestor MP, Pauline Webb from the Methodist Conference and AAM Hon. Secretary Abdul Minty.

Letter following up a meeting between an AAM delegation and Foreign Office Minister Ted Rowlands to discuss the AAM’s memorandum of 19 April 1976 on Britain’s arms embargo. The letter detailed loopholes in the arms embargo and exposed the fact that South Africa had access to the NATO Codification System.

After the 1976 Soweto uprising the AAM stepped up its campaign for the Labour government to end all contacts between the British and South African armed forces and support a mandatory UN embargo. This petition was signed by 64,000 people and presented to the Foreign Secretary David Owen on 21 March 1977, the anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre. In November Britain dropped its veto and the UN imposed a mandatory arms ban on South Africa.