On this day, June 16, in 1976, about 20,000 South African students took to the streets in Soweto in a protest. The students objected to a decree that forced schools to use Afrikaans as the language of instruction.
Thousands of students rioted in the streets. The protest began peacefully, but turned violent after a teacher who tried to stop the students was assaulted.
Recommended Stories
Print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account
Digital subscriber? Click here to login/register your account.