Letter to Tesco Store regarding selling of South African goods

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This letter, dated 26th September 1987, is from Bernie Grant, the then Member of Parliament for Tottenham, addressed to the manager of a Tesco store in Tottenham. In the letter, Grant expresses his strong opposition to the store’s policy of selling goods originating from apartheid-era South Africa. He urges Tesco to reconsider this policy in solidarity with the Black majority’s struggle against racial oppression in South Africa.

Key points:
– Bernie Grant writes as Tottenham’s MP to challenge Tesco’s stocking of South African goods during apartheid.
– He highlights that the local community strongly opposes apartheid and supports equal opportunity and multiculturalism.
– Grant details the systemic inequalities and brutalities faced by the Black majority in South Africa under apartheid.
– He points out that South African authorities intimidate groups critical of the apartheid government.
– The letter calls for economic solidarity with South Africa’s oppressed Black majority by boycotting their goods.

Bernie Grant was a pioneering Black British MP and anti-racist campaigner who linked local activism with global struggles for justice. This letter illustrates his commitment to internationalism, advocating economic measures against apartheid South Africa. The campaign to boycott South African goods was a significant tactic used by anti-apartheid activists in the UK, connecting local government, community action, and broader transnational efforts for racial equality and self-determination.

Source note: The OCR text contains minor inconsistencies and fragmented sentences, reflecting typical transcription challenges from aged documents. These do not affect the overall meaning but require cautious reading.