Photos

Thousands of demonstrators marched through central London on 17 July 1988 to a rally attended by 250,000 people in Hyde Park. The rally was the climax of the AAM’s ‘Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70’ campaign and the biggest ever anti-apartheid demonstration in Britain.

The rock group Simple Minds perform for the 250,000-strong crowd in Hyde Park at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Rally on 17 July 1988. The rally was the climax of the AAM’s ‘Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70’ campaign and the biggest ever anti-apartheid demonstration in Britain. It rally began with music from Jonas Gwangwa and Archbishop Desmond Tutu gave the keynote speech.

The Mandela marchers on stage at the 250,000-strong Nelson Mandela Freedom rally in Hyde Park on 17 July 1988. The rally was the climax of the AAM’s ‘Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70’ campaign and the biggest ever anti-apartheid demonstration in Britain. At the end of the campaign a poll showed that Nelson Mandela had become a household name in Britain and 70% of people supported the call for his release.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Nelson Mandela Freedom rally in Hyde Park. Thousands of demonstrators marched through central London on 17 July 1988 to a rally attended by 250,000 people. The rally was the climax of the AAM’s ‘Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70’ campaign and the biggest ever anti-apartheid demonstration in Britain. At the end of the campaign a poll showed that Nelson Mandela had become a household name in Britain and 70% of people  supported the call for his release.

A deputation from the AAM delivered over 30,000 cards calling for Nelson Mandela’s release to the South African Embassy in London on Mandela’s 70th birthday, 18 July 1988. The cards were signed by people from all over Britain. The Embassy refused to accept the cards and threw them onto the pavement.

All over Britain special events were held to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday. In the picture, children in Bristol cut a birthday cake. At the conclusion of the AAM’s ‘Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70’ campaign, a poll showed that Nelson Mandela had become a household name in Britain and 70% of people  supported the call for his release.

Sheffield AA Group celebrated Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday with a 5-a-side football competition and a birthday party. Special events took place all over Britain as part of the AAM’s ‘Freedom at 70’ campaign. At the end of the campaign a poll showed that Nelson Mandela had become a household name in Britain and 70% of people  supported the call for his release.

All over Britain special events were held to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday. In the photograph, anti-apartheid supporters in Inverness display a giant card in the town’s shopping centre. At the conclusion of the AAM’s ‘Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70’ campaign, a poll showed that Nelson Mandela had become a household name in Britain and 70% of people  supported the call for his release.