Minneapolis Spokesman

World Aghast! Americans Roundly Rap South Africa's Mass Massacre Of Natives

(An Associated Negro Press Exclusive)

New York. (ANP)-A sullen South Africa, smarting under almost universal criticism of its bloody suppression of a peaceful demonstration by Negroes against restrictive racial laws, told the United States and the rest of the world to mind its own business.

After conferring with American Ambassador Philip Crowe over the sharp critical note the United States sent to the government of South Africa, Eric Louw the foreign minister in Johannesburg issued a statement.

It said the discussion with Crowe does not mean that South Africa is "conceding the right of the United States government to concern itself with the domestic affairs of South Africa, just as the Union (of South Africa) does not concern itself with riots of racial disturbances in other countries."

The statement said the department had criticized police violence here without knowing all the facts "regarding attacks by many thousands of Bantu (Negroes) on a small police force to whom was entrusted the duty of maintaining law and order."

Criticism of last week's police violence mounted in world capitals. Three of South Africa's partners in the British commonwealth, India, Australia and Canada, expressed concern.

In addition, nine African nations condemned the barbaric attack upon the Negro demonstrators, and the 29-nation Asian-African bloc had scheduled a meeting for later in the week in New York at which it was expected to criticize South Africa's handling of the race problem and perhaps propose some course of action.

Meanwhile, in the United States, outstanding personalities voiced their criticism of South Africa and some saw in the tragic events of last week a lesson for America where Negroes are conducting peaceful demonstrations against racial segregation in the South.

Here are some of the comments:

State Department Lincoln White, director of news division, U. S. State Department: "United States deplores violence in all its forms. It hopes the people of South Africa will be able to obtain redress for legitimate grievance by peaceful means.

"While the United States, as a matter of practice, does not ordinarily comment on internal affairs of governments with which it engages normal relations, it cannot help but regret the tragic loss of (Continued on Page 4)
life resulting from the measures taken "against demonstrators in South Africa."

Congressman Diggs: "There is a common objective in both the South African movement and the current demonstrations in America. There is a similarity of methods, But the Africans are more prone to real sacrifice than American Negroes.

"The American Negroes can learn a lesson from their African brothers in real dedication and sacrifice for a cause."

Congresswomen Frances Bolton Congresswoman Frances P. Bolton, member of the House foreign relations committee:

"The news from South Africa is utterly shocking. To shoot down defenseless citizens coming peacefully to protest the hated pass laws the inequities of which I personally observed when I visited in South Africa—is indefensible. Apartheid in action is horrible, really inhuman. It really is not comparable to our South in the United States unfortunate though conditions there are. I am happy that our State Department has expressed so well the feeling of Americans."

Judge Richardson Scovel Richardson, Federal Judge, New York: "Enforcement officers should use their powers to protect people in the exercise of their rights, not destroy them. Nonviolent attempts to be accorded equality, dignity and respect should be met with consideration and understanding, not bullets."

Wilkins Roy Wilkins, executive secretary NAACP: "The Association has urged that the United States cut off relations with South Africa and cut off all economic aid and commerce with that country. The NAACP urges prompt action to avoid any conclusion in the minds of the peoples of the world that the United States of America, itself born of protest against tyranny and oppression, condones wanton slaughter as an instrument of state power."

Mayor Wagner Robert Wagner, Mayor of the City of New York: "As Mayor and Chief Magistrate of the greatest city in the world, I deplore and reject the use of violence by the constituted agencies of government except to defend government itself against revolt. No such threat was inherent in the South African incident where people were concerned only with demonstrating their repugnance for the severest kind of racial discrimination. We know there is no room either for violence or for racial discrimination in the world we live in today."

Editor P. B. Young P. B. Young, Editor-Publisher Journal and Guide: "While we look with favor upon the United States government, we believe that our own country's long silence against these programs has given the rulers of South Africa encouragement and license to pursue their course."

Granger Lester B. Granger, executive director, National Urban League: "Americans of good will applaud the statement from our State Department deploring these police atrocities to which the native people of South Africa are being subjected. American official leadership in the past has been constrained to follow a policy of hands off Africa. The United States must take advantage of every opportunity to demonstrate to the free world that we will not stand aside and permit these inhuman practices to continue.

"The situation in South Africa presents a lesson to us here in America. The sit-in demonstrations in the South highlight the racial inequities in our own country. They call for stronger action by Negro and white Americans to remedy the intolerable conditions."

Horace Bond Horace Mann Bond, Atlanta University, Atlanta, Ga.: "The mass killings in South Africa horrify me as they must every person remembering the pit into which the human race fell 25 years ago when Hitler began to use his murderous power to deny human dignity. I urge our national government to take the lead in affirming the complete equality of all human beings at home and abroad and in quarantining South Africa as one would a mad dog dangerous to the security of all human beings."

Carter Wesley Carter Wesley, publisher, The Informer Papers, Houston, Tex.: "The slaughtering of Negroes, peacefully protesting the restriction of their rights, is an example of what happens when the authorities attempt to put the law against the rights of human beings illegally. It also suggests needless clashes that we may have in the South because of a misuse of the laws and the machinery of governments."

Clifford Mackay Cliff Mackay, Editor, Afro American: "South Africa's wholesale slaughter of men, women and children for wanting to walk with human dignity is a shocking and wicked thing. It is one more bloody price of soul-crushing segregation. And it adds but one more brutal item to the growing debt white South Africans will soon be called upon to pay."