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Overview
This striking poster was made for the anti-Springbok Rugby Tour protest movement in 1981. It repurposes 'Apartheid' as 'Apart Hate', and includes an image of a policeman raising his baton to strike unarmed people. This is a detail from the famous photograph of a women’s protest at Cato Manor, Durban, in 1959, in which South African police subdued protesters with batons. This image of state oppression was incorporated into protest objects for many years afterwards, including t-shirts and posters.
Even though the image refers to police brutality in South Africa under the apartheid regime, it could also refer to the confrontations between rugby supporters, anti-tour protesters and police in New Zealand which grew increasingly violent as the tour in 1981 progressed. Police were equipped with long batons, helmets, and riot shields, and charged with ensuring that the games went ahead.
This particular poster belonged to activist Rona Bailey (1914-2005) who first became involved in protests against apartheid in South Africa from the late 1940s, and campaigned against the 1960 All Black tour of South Africa. For most of the 1970s, Bailey worked full-time and voluntarily for the anti-apartheid movement. Te Papa holds her hard hat worn during Springbok rugby tour protests in 1981 (GH011699).