A call for a thirty-minute work stoppage in protest against the death of Dr. Neil Aggett, who allegedly committed suicide while in police detention, was supported by virtually all-independent Black unions, and tens of thousands of workers. Outrage at the circumstances of his death cut across racial lines and prompted White opposition politicians, lawyers, academics and church leaders to lead demands for the end of prolonged solitary detention without trial because of the intolerable pressure it creates.
