Last week's SRC approved the strategy for stopping the tour which had been adopted by the Anti-Apartheid Club, Citizens Opposing the Springbok Tour (COST) and HART. This strategy involves the use of non-violent civil disobedience to force the cancellation of the tour.

This strategy will involve militant mass demonstrations and associated activities to stretch the resources of the police to breaking point. The police will find themselves unable to cope with the nationwide activities. Each demonstration we stage from now on will be of such a nature.

The police are clearly worried by this and have been issuing many statements that violence will inevitably follow. People can see through this as just an attempt to scare people away from the demonstrations. However it is the police's job to protect the tour and ensure it proceeds. It is now our task to ensure the tour does not proceed.

A day of National Shame

Activities decided upon so far are all listed in the notice about this Wednesday's march, which is to mark the first game in Gisborne. Many Trade Unions will be stopping work for the demonstration, as will a large number of public servants. Students must make their presence felt on this demonstration too.

The first demonstration is to commemorate a "day of National shame" that the Springboks should be playing here in New Zealand. We must show the world and our own government that the people of this country don't want the tour. All the demonstrations we stage must have this purpose. To make the protests effective we must all be there.

After the demonstrations on July 22, there will be at least two demonstrations each week. The fight against the tour will not stop until the Springboks are thrown out of New Zealand. All these demonstrations must involve civil disobedience on a large scale.

Govt. Has Ignored Public Opinion

For all his talk about opposition to apartheid, Muldoon and his government have done nothing to stop this tour. Muldoon's final "plea" on television was in fact a blatant message of support for the Rugby Union's invitation. The people of this country; the black people of Azania (South Africa) and the countries of the world all wanted this tour stopped. And yet our government refused to act.

The reason for this betrays their lack of any sincerity about opposing apartheid. It was only the ravings of MPs such as Norm Jones and Merv Wellington which got the government go ahead for the tour. They and a few others were worried about a backlash at the polls from tour supporters which might cost them their seats. Only these narrow electoral considerations were considered important by the government. The plight of blacks in Azania and the pleas of the people of both countries went unheeded.

Join the Fight!

Because our Government has refused to act for us and stop the tour, we must now do the stopping ourselves. If we support the blacks of Southern Africa in their struggle for liberation, then we must stop this tour. This strategy is the only way to do it. It is a great shame that the tour was not stopped because of apartheid, and now will be cancelled because of internal disruption, but we must still stop the tour.

The Springbok captain has already said that the Springbok tour of New Zealand is a great diplomatic breakthrough for South Africa. He is right. This breakthrough must be quickly closed. We must show the world we support black liberation, not apartheid. We must stop the tour.