Students from many Sowetan schools began to protest in the streets of Soweto because Afrikaans had been introduced a as the language of teaching in local schools. It is estimated that 20,000 students took part in the protests. The police responded by killing many protesters. The number of people killed in the uprising is usually given as 176, but estimates of up to 700 have been made. In remembrance of these events, 16 June is now a public holiday in South Africa, named Youth Day.