cul01. Equity referendum, 1976

The 1976 annual general meeting of the actors union Equity called for an extension of the union’s boycott of South Africa. It asked Equity’s Council to extend its ban on television programmes to all filmed or taped material and to instruct members not to work there. It also called for a ban on working in Rhodesia. This leaflet from Performers Against Racism asked members to support the new policy in a referendum. Members voted to support the union’s existing policy of asking members to refuse to perform if they were prevented from appearing before multi-racial audiences. But the new proposals were narrowly defeated.