Back in the 1980s, campaigners against apartheid sometimes organised effective protests in supermarkets, particularly during busy periods such as Christmas shopping time.
Five or six campaigners would go together to Tesco, M&S, or wherever. Three or four of the campaigners would fill their baskets and trollies with goods produced by the apartheid state (they would have checked out in advance where those goods were situated on the shelves, and usually they would take off the shelf every single item produced by the apartheid state).
Then they would go to the tills, take out their products as if to pay for them, and then act ‘surprised’ and upset and outraged: ‘these goods are from [the apartheid state]! If I buy these things, I would be supporting violence and oppression!’.
They would calmly explain to shoppers round about that they wouldn’t be buying the things because of what the apartheid state does; argue that the shop shouldn’t stock goods produced by the apartheid state; and urge shoppers to boycott goods from the apartheid state.
Perhaps they would distribute leaflets explaining the reasons for boycotting the apartheid state, and giving contact details of the campaigns against apartheid.
The roles of the other two campaigners, who hadn’t filled their trollies and gone to the tills, were indispensable: they were about managing and supporting the action. As the situation developed at the tills, they would reassure the shop workers, explaining that the action was not intended to upset or harass them as individuals – the action was simply about calling on shoppers to boycott apartheid goods, and to pressure the management of the store to stop stocking such goods.
In an assertive but friendly way, they would request to speak to the store manager, to make the same points, and to ask that they report the action to their more senior bosses, and relay campaigners’ request that the store stop stocking apartheid goods.
They would also judge how long to let the action run: the intention was to build support and interest and therefore the tills should be ‘snagged up’ for long enough to make the point, but not for so long as to alienate the shoppers and shop workers – and even store managers – who might be sympathetic to the arguments against the apartheid state.
If security or even police arrived, the two ‘support’ team members would take de-escalatory steps, explaining that the action was about making a point, exercising democratic rights, and that the cause that they were acting in line with was supported by the local council (where this was the case). They would also say that the action would be ending shortly, and that they would like to end it by agreement.
The action would normally end with the campaigners leaving all the items they had put into their trollies in the till area (on the ‘conveyer’ belts, in front of the tills) and leaving the store in a group. Photographs would be taken of the action for sending to the local papers, with an explanatory press release.
Of course, apartheid in South Africa ended thirty years ago, in part because of determined campaigning to encourage consumers to boycott goods from the apartheid state. It may be, therefore, that the tactic described here is merely of historical interest.
Published 8 December 2023.