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Overview
This badge was made for women protesting against the 1981 Springbok rugby tour. All walks of life were represented in the protest movement, and many groups voiced their concerns independently to ensure all perspectives were acknowledged by the movement.
Where do you stand?
For those not in the front line, wearing an anti-tour badge was a simple way to declare their allegiance. Anti-tour protesters argued that sport was not separate from politics, and that playing rugby against South Africa condoned apartheid. Some also saw the tour as an opportunity to address racism in New Zealand.
Anti-tour protesters
Some protesters were hard-line activists, but most were ordinary people who abhorred apartheid and violence. Although they came from a wide cross-section of society, many were well-educated professionals from larger urban centres. Men and women participated in equal numbers.