The declaration of the war was cause for subdued patriotic fervour by some races and outright rebellion by others. Predominantly, English-speaking whites were by far the most supportive, strongly backing Britain and volunteering in their tens of thousands. Some pro-republican Afrikaners, outraged by British influence in South Africa, staged an armed rebellion against the Government in 1914 in an attempt to re-establish their independence. Black South Africans were largely apathetic to the declaration. Although barred by racial legislation from being allowed to carry weapons, many still joined the national labour service and thousands were deployed to France as non-combatants to undertake manual work. Whilst some saw it as a 'white man's war', others were convinced that loyalty to the British Crown would be rewarded and that their political situation would improve once the war was won. The South African Native National Congress, the forerunner of the African National Congress, publicly announced the cessation of law action against the Government, pledging complete national support for the war effort.