The Defiance Campaign Long Walk Original Manuscript (Image #116)

appointed National Volunteer in Chief and chairman of both the NAC and NVV. The Joint Executives also discussed whether the campaign should be based on a non violence as a principle, as advocated by Mahatma Gandhi in India where all forms of violence as methods of struggle were completely renounced. Some held this point of view and drew attention to the hopelessness of any violent resistance against the government. They argued that non violence as a philossophy of life was morally superior to any violent method the enemy might use and that just as Satyagraha brought the downfall of British imperialism in India so it would ultimately lead to the collapse of apartheid in our country. Others pointed out that we should approach the matter not from the point of view of principle but rather of tactics and that we should rely on any method which was demanded by the conditions. If a method would enable us to defeat the enemy it should be used by all means. If the conditions later rendered that same method ineffective, they maintained, it would be fatal to continue to adhere to it. This view prevailed and at once brought us into conflict with Manilal Gandhi who insisted that the campaign be run on identical lines as that of India. He also wanted us to exclude the communists from the campaign. In this too his bid failed. Throughout the campaign and for some time afterwards government propagandists repeatedly said that the leaders of the campaign were living in comfort and enjoying themselves whilst the masses were languishing in jail an accusation which has been echoed in 1976 even by one or two ignorant individuals who are prisoners here. This is either a malicious alligation or a statement due to ignorance or both. The facts show that, far from being in the background, it was the leaders who