Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
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The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, also called Afrikaner Resistance Front or AWB, is an extremist right-wing political group of South Africa. They are committed to the restoration of an independent Afrikaner republic within South Africa or "boerstaat." They are widely seen as an extremist white supremacist group, both in South Africa and abroad.
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Beginnings
The AWB was formed in 1973 in a garage in Heidelberg, Transvaal, a town southeast of Johannesburg. Established in that year was the group's leader Eugène Terre'Blanche, who still is the head of the AWB today. Terre'Blanche, a former police officer, became disillusioned by what he felt were then Prime Minister B.J. Vorster's "liberal views," as well as what he viewed as Communist influences in South African society. Terre'Blanche decided to form the AWB with six other like-minded individuals. Their flag is comprised of three sevens in a white circle with a red background, resembling a three-prong swastika. Terre'Blanche claims that the three sevens "stands to oppose the number 666, the number of the anti-Christ". They also use the "Vierkleur" or the original flag of the once independent Transvaal Republic.
AWB During Apartheid
During the 1970s and 1980s, the AWB grew from the original 7 to tens of thousands of white South Africans - Terre'Blanche claims 70,000. They opposed the reform of Apartheid laws during the 1980s, harassing liberal politicians and holding large (and often quite rowdy) political rallies. Terre'Blanche used his flamboyant oratorical skills and forceful personality to win converts. He railed against the lifting of many so-called "petty Apartheid" laws such as the law banning interracial sex and marriage, as well as the larger and more important steps, such as limited political rights to Indians and Coloureds. During the State of Emergency (1984 to 1986) there were many reports of AWB violence against unarmed non-whites. The AWB was especially in opposition to the then-banned African National Congress which they believed was controlled by the South African Communist Party. The ruling National Party considered the AWB to be little more than a fringe group, so while not officially endorsed, they were able to operate relatively unhindered. However in 1986, white police officers took the unprecedented step of using tear gas against Terre'Blanche and the AWB when they disrupted a National Party rally.
In 1992, the AWB was beset by scandal when Terre'Blanche was found to be having an affair with journalist Jani Allan, with transcripts of their sexual relationship appearing in the South African press. In 1994, before the advent of majority rule, the AWB gained international notoriety in its attempt to defend the government of the homeland of Bophuthatswana. The AWB, along with a contingent of about 90 Afrikaner Volksfront militiamen entered the capital of Mmambatho on March 10th and March 11th. The convoy then skirmished with the Bophuthatswana Defense Force at the airport at Mafekeng. One AWB member was shot and killed when the convoy attempted to leave the airport and continue on to Mmambatho. When in Mmambatho, the AWB and the Afrikaner Volksfront found themselves under continuous siege from both the Bophuthatswana Defense Force and Mmambatho citizens. When attempting to retreat from Mmambatho on March 15th, three AWB members were killed by Defense Force members. The three were pulled from their car at an intersection and shot at point blank range. It was later claimed that the AWB members killed had been shooting out of their car windows. The execution of the AWB members had been filmed by a news crew, and the footage was shown around the world. Despite this disaster, Eugène Terre'Blanche proclaimed the failed campaign a victory.
In June 2004, Terre'blanche was released from prison. He was sentenced for the attempted murder of security guard, Paul Motshabi, but Terre'blanche only served three years. Terre'blanche claims that while in prison, he re-discovered God and has dropped some of his more violent and racist policies. In spite of this, many blacks feel that the South African legal system is absurd, where a man who has repeatedly attacked blacks in his area, is allowed to be released purely on good behaviour.
AWB in Literature
In Harry Turtledove's alternative history novel "Guns of the South", a group of AWB members from the near future use a time machine to travel back to the American Civil War and distribute Kalashnikov automatic rifles to the Confederates. Their intention was to allow the South to win the war, effectively changing the course of history as it stands today.
External link
- Official website (http://www.awb.co.za/english.htm)de:Afrikaaner Weerstandsbeweging