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August 17, 2012

South African Police Open Fire on Striking Miners, Killing At Least 30 
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Police in South Africa opened fire on a miners' strike near Johannesburg
on Thursday, killing at least 30 people. Government officials say the
police began shooting after workers armed with machetes ignored orders
to disperse. The killings followed more than a week of clashes at the
Marikana platinum mine. South Africa's Association of Mineworkers and
Construction Union, which represents most of the strikers, has accused
the police of committing a massacre. It was one of the worst mass
killings in South Africa since the end of apartheid.

 

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