The Sharpeville MAssacre.

In March of 1960 both the ANC and the PAC decided to hold demonstrations against the 'pass law'. While the ANC planned peaceful protests, Robert Sobukwe wanted to do something a little bit more extreme. He asked all Africans on March 21 to leave their houses without their passes, walk to the police station and demand to be arrested. On the morning of March 21 Sobukwe started the campaign by walking to the police station in Orlando in …

…that of the dead, 52 had been shot in the back. If the police claimed to have been firing in self-defense, why had demonstrators been shot while running away? In Langa in the Cape, demonstrators were told by police officers to leave the station. When demonstrators refused they were baton charged by the police. The crowd began throwing stones at the police, giving them reason to open fire. Two demonstrators were killed in Langa and 49 injured.