You can be convicted of murder without killing anyone, all you have to do is order or sanction it. I'm pretty sure both of them did that.
Had a chat with someone one time and they said, One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. It definitely makes you think for a moment.
I don't think the point here should be whether or not Mandela USED violence in his struggle....It should really be about the fact that he was able to RENOUNCE violence that made him a great man. Bar a very small minority, most revolutionary movements have used violence at some time or another and this will always happen in some shape or form. In my opinion anyway, a physical AND an idealogical approach is sometimes the only option. 'If i see a fascist terrorising an innocent family...I'm not gonna stand on the other side of the street chanting 'Nazis out' and waving a nice placard....instead i'm gonna run across the road and put the placard over his f****** head' (Quote from an unknown Antifa )
Maybe spending years in solitary confinement gave him time to reflect and think..... There is no god so pretty hard to find him (IMO)
So Shefford, Can you now breathe a little easier that the thought police have driven past your door and are continuing to allow you to use whatever device you need to transmit any uneducated, stupid bull**** you please? Take your clown suit off for one moment and just read it again, you felt your right to free speech was in danger? - If you believe that then you truly need to stock up on the straw. I'm not even going to bother defending the name of Mandela as many who are far more eloquent and learned than myself will be able to do so, where I do take umbrage is someone behind a keyboard citing free speech denial most probably sitting on their arse somewhere in Political Rights ravaged UK! You see, no one is going to kill you for your ignorance and stupidity, no one is even going to want to. No one is going to question and watch your every move, no one is going to push you to the limits of your humanity by degrading you and constantly pushing you down and smiling at the same time. Sheff - Please watch out that some stupid drunk youngster doesn't push you off the village wall - that straw can really be a bummer to get out of the teeth.
Apart from DanishQp, at last there appears to be some reasoned debate on the subject. I would like to thank you all for your contributions and more importantly, not turning this thread into a tirade against me. Some really valid points have been made, so much so that it has caused me to rethink my opinions. That is not to say I have changed my mind on Mandela, just that I am more aware of why he took to terrorism.
Danish, please can you highlight my uneducated stupid bullshit or have the balls to apologise? Thanks
When you are treated like a caged animal sometimes you start to act like a caged animal. To sit here and say well he was a murder and should be put in jail is a bit simple. This is a guy who stuck up for his people who were treated worst than any one on this has. Not only that he then brought together a country that was ****ed. You would never come on this site and say that people who were in the France fight the Nazi were murders. So why start now
I try to minimise arguing with the village idiots as your experience, uprightness and downright indefatigability to idiocy is frankly overwhelming - I will however leave you with this tit bit to help the straw digestion - You proclaimed a fear of losing your right to free speech on this thread - Be careful now, if those kids see you on the wall with your laptop there's no telling what they might do!