SUMMARY
AWB (Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, Afrikaner Resistance Movement) is a South African organisation dedicated to the creation of an exclusively white Afrikaner homeland in the state of South Africa. The organisation was founded in 1973 with the expressed goal of establishing a Boer/Afrikaner state in South Africa, as existed before the defeat at the hands of the British Empire in the Second Anglo-Boer War of the early 1900s. The AWB wishes to re-create such a state for the sole use of the Boer (defined as also meaning ‘Afrikaner’) people, so as to ensure the survival of the “Christian White race”.
The group evolved from disillusioned members of a break-away faction of the ruling NP (National Party), a faction which advocated extreme Afrikaner nationalism, but was subsequently outmanoeuvred in the political arena by the NP. AWB has been accused of being a neo-Nazi organisation, but the group itself denies this, stating instead that it is only rightist and nationalistic. The organisation’s symbol has clear Nazi connotations, but the three ‘7s’ that form the Swastika-like logotype are by the staunchly Christian group said to be of Biblical origin, being the anti-thesis of the Number of the Beast, 666.
Though opposed to the NP government that ruled South Africa throughout the apartheid era the group never engaged that government in armed conflict, and nor did it do so with the ANC (African National Congress) government that took control of South Africa following on the fall of minority rule. The group instead made use of violence mostly against political activists and civilians. During the days of the NP government AWB opposed any tendencies towards the abolishment of apartheid and concessions towards the black liberation movements, and it was also fiercely anti-communist. After the ANC began to negotiate for political reforms with the South African government AWB stated that it would fight the ‘communism’ of the ANC and the ANC’s wish for the ‘destruction’ of the Afrikaner people. Opposition towards the ANC and the SACP (South African Communist Party) was however also a defining political characteristic from the movement’s foundation.
AWB, at its peak, numbered several thousand members and supporters. Although some of these are known to have been from the English-speaking community, the movement was predominately composed of white Afrikaner speakers. The group had several armed wings of varying size and importance, with the best known one being the ‘Iron Guard’ (‘Ystergarde’ in Afrikaans), the branch which has been held responsible for most of the movement’s violent activities. AWB also maintained a political party, the BVP (Blanke Volkstaat Party, White People’s State Party), which has however never participated in parliamentary elections. The AWB instead aimed to affect South Africa’s political life through extra-parliamentary action, at first non-violently, but later using force as moves towards a handover to majority rule materialised.
In terms of links to other organisations AWB maintained a political relationship with the South African CP (Conservative Party), at times throwing its weight behind the party. It also had links to other rightwing groups in South Africa. More importantly the group was part of the Afrikaner Volksfront (Afrikaner National Front) organisation which emerged during the NP government-ANC negotiations, and united the right-wing groups around the ideals of Afrikaner nationalism. After the transition to majority multi-racial rule the significance of AWB waned, and in 2005 the organisation was more or less extinct, performing no activities of any sort.
The organisation was founded by Eugéne Terre´Blanche and six other men of Afrikaner ethnicity in Heidelberg in the Transvaal region. Eugéne Terre’Blanche became the group’s leader a few years after its founding.
AWB has been involved in the one-sided category of UCDP organised violence.
