10 O'Clock News | [Apartheid protest march to City Hall Plaza]

Apartheid protesters march to City Hall Plaza

[Apartheid protest march to City Hall Plaza]
Original Airdate: 8/8/1985

Length: 00:19:27
Item Type: newstape - original footage

Go back to main record.

Full Description

1:00:00
Visual: A diverse group of protesters are gathered in Copley Square for an anti-apartheid rally. Protesters hold a large banner reading, "Free Nelson Mandela." The protesters are gathered in small groups. A protest leader speaks into a microphone. A voice yells out repeatedly, "God Bless America."
Shot of a sign reading, "Botha = Hitler."
Protesters are gathered around the man with the microphone. A white male protester hands out a newspaper called "Frontline." Voices off camera are yelling slogans. A city worker works among the protesters, cleaning up the square. Groups of protesters listen as the man with the microphone talks about the route of the march. The man tells the protesters to stay on the sidewalks.
Shot of a sign reading, "Stop Jewish invisible government. Smash Jewish-Zionist Communist conspiracy."
A protester carries a wooden model of a coffin. "An apartheid dividend" is written on the coffin. Protesters have unfurled a banner reading, "Death to apartheid. Burn it to the ground." The gathered crowd listens to another man speaking through a microphone.
Shot of the John Hancock Tower. Shots of the crowd of protesters listening to the speaker.
The speaker talks about the importance of freedom. The protesters clap when he finishes.
Shot of a sign reading, "Support the Azanian peoples right to self-determination. Down with apartheid."
A woman addresses the crowd about the South African government's policy of apartheid.
Shots of individual protesters listening to the woman.
Shot of a banner reading, "Free South Africa movement. Boston."

1:05:28
V: Shot of the hands of a protester as she signs a petition.
The woman addressing the crowd talks about the need for the South African government to change its policies. She talks about the possibility of a civil war in South Africa.
Shots of individual protesters.
Mel King (community activist) arrives at the march and shakes hands with a few protesters. The protesters begin to march together on Boyleston Street, away from Copley Square. Many protesters hold protest signs. The protesters leave Copley Square in a steady stream. Shouting ensues as a one protester tackles another because he is trying to retrieve his protest sign. His protest sign reads, "Stop Jewish invisible government. Smash Jewish-Zionist Communist conspiracy." A crowd gathers around the men as they struggle on the ground. A police officer rushes in to separate the men. Protesters yell, "Get him out of here." The man picks up his anti-semitic protest sign and continues to march. Protesters continue to march out of Copley Square, chanting "Death to apartheid." Protesters carry wooden models of coffins and protest signs.
Shot of cars traveling on Boyleston Street.
Police officers on motorcycles travel slowly on Boyleston Street, keeping pace with the protesters. The protesters march on, chanting "Burn it to the ground. Apartheid in South Africa."
Shots of the feet of the marching protesters.
The protesters march down Boyleston Street, keeping on the sidewalk. A protester hands out flyers to two white women who are standing on the sidewalk. The women read the flyers. Another protester hands out flyers.

1:09:32
V: The marchers approach City Hall Plaza. They march onto the plaza shouting "Down with racism from Boston to South Africa." The man with the anti-semitic sign walks onto the plaza. He wears a wooden cross around his neck. Two African American men block his sign with two umbrellas. Other protesters use their banners to block his sign. The crowd around the man chant vehemently, "Down with racism." The man tries to change directions to avoid the protesters who are blocking his sign. The protesters follow him, shouting "Down with racism." Marchers continue to walk onto the plaza. The crowd of protesters on the plaza grows. Protesters clap and chant "Down with racism."
Shots of individual protesters.
Two police officers stand at the edge of the plaza, watching the protesters. Bystanders stand at the edge of the plaza, watching the protesters. The protesters chant, "We say no. We say no. Apartheid has got to go." Police officers walk into the center of the crowd of protesters. The protesters have surrounded the man with the anti-semitic sign. The protesters chant vehemently as they surround the man.
Shots of individual protesters.
Police officers stand by warily. A few protesters confront the man with the anti-semitic sign. Other protesters move their signs to cover his sign. The man keeps moving his sign so it will be seen.

1:14:01
V: Protesters at the edge of the crowd watch the confrontation between other protesters and the man with the anti-semitic sign. A chant starts up among some protesters, "Down with the nazi." The protesters at the edge of the crowd watch the action off camera. An African American male protester beats a drum in time with another chant, "Burn it to the ground. Apartheid in South Africa." An African American female protesters holds a sign reading "women unite." She chants along with the other protesters. Bystanders on the edge of the plaza watch the crowd of protesters who have gathered on the plaza. A protester holds up a copy of the Socialist Worker newspaper, with a headline which condemns apartheid. Another protester peddles another newspaper.

1:15:35
V: An African American female protester addresses the crowd. She talks about the need for US citizens to protest apartheid. The man with the anti-semitic sign stands in the middle of the crowd singing "God Bless America." The man sings loudly, competing for attention with the speaker. Police officers stand by the singing man. Bruce Bolling (President, Boston City Council) addresses the crowd. He says that the protesters are trying to make sure that the US is on the right side of this issue. He chants "God Bless America" in order to drown out the singing. Bolling says that the Boston City Council has passed a resolution denouncing apartheid and US policy in South Africa. Bolling starts to chant, "Sanctions now." The crowd chants along with Bolling.
Shots of members of the crowd.
The African American female speaker returns to the microphone. She talks about protests against apartheid by black South Africans.
Shots of an African American female protestor; of a white female protester wearing a "Free Nelson Mandela ribbon".
The speaker continues to speak about the resistance to apartheid by black South Africans.

The Ten O'Clock News Home | WGBH

The Ten O'Clock News Project is a production of the WGBH Archives.
©2003 WGBH Educational Foundation.