Opening of the South African consulate San Francisco 1962

By John Mills

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The first demonstration the South African Consulate-General had to face took place half an hour after we had informed the press that we had opened our office in Pine Street - 3rd Floor, 360 Pine Street.  In point of fact, we were at the time in the 4th Floor while the 3rd Floor was being partitioned for our use.  A sleazy band of picketers, led by a seedy-looking man with a megaphone, started shuffling around in a circle on the pavement below.   (In America at that time, demonstrators were required to keep moving) The loud-hailer barked:

"Be ashamed of yourselves, people of San Francisco!  You have allowed the Fascist Government of South Africa to open an office in your city - third floor, 360 Pine Street." 

This litany went on for some time, without attracting too much attention. Eventually, what was being shouted percolated through the open windows of the floor below us. The foreman, red-haired and freckled, suddenly realised:  "Third floor, 360 Pine Street!  Why that's us.  What the ........'s going on?"  He leaned out of the window, and at that the leader of the demonstrators yelled:  "So you've got the guts to show yourself!  Look at him, ladies and gentlemen!  Look at the representative of the Fascist South African Government!"  This irked the foreman and he shouted down:  "Listen, you crummy bum!  What's eating you?  I'll come down and beat your.........ears off!"

The demonstration came to a sudden end. They were paid off quickly and it did not even reach the press.  Remarkable.  Such luck could not continue, and it did not.