Boycott

The AAM held a month of action in March 1985 to relaunch the consumer boycott. This multilingual leaflet was produced for the new campaign. AAM supporters distributed around three-quarters of a million leaflets at shopping centres all over Britain asking shoppers not to buy South African goods. Hundreds of thousands of leaflets were distributed door to door. The month culminated with a nationwide day of action on Saturday 30 March with pickets of over 1,000 shopping centres all over Britain. The following year a Harris Poll found that 27% of people in Britain said they boycotted South African products.

Postcard distributed during the AAM’s month of boycott action in March 1985. The year before, in June 1984, the AAM relaunched the consumer boycott of South African goods to mark its 25th anniversary.

Stickers distributed during the AAM’s month of boycott action in March 1985. They were designed for anti-apartheid activists to stick on South African products in supermarkets. The AAM relaunched the consumer boycott of South African goods to mark its 25th anniversary in June 1984.

Badge produced for the AAM’s Month of Boycott Action in March 1985.

Scottish AA groups campaigned to persuade the Dundee-based supermarket William Low to ban South African products. They distributed this leaflet outside William Low stores during the AAM boycott month in March 1985. After a long-running campaign the chain agreed to stop selling South African goods in the early 1990s.

Badge calling for a boycott of South African goods, produced in the USA.

Carrier bag produced for the AAM’s Month of Boycott Action in March 1985.

South Africa diversified its exports in the early 1980s to include textiles and household products. AAM campaigners targeted leading clothes chains like Next, Austin Reed and Country Casuals. In November 1984 Next announced it would not renew its contract for South African clothing.