Ghandi Would Say "No, Thankyou!" Today....Twice!

Two things happened today that seriously undermined the life and work of Mahatma Ghandi and that makes me both angry and sad. The first to come to my attention was the auction of Ghandi memorabilia including his flip flops, glasses and various other items, sold by one private collector for £1.2million to other private collectors. The seller, an activist, has purportedly said that the proceeds will go to charities promoting peace. I wonder if Ghandi would've been comfortable with the massive amount of money that was raised for his humble belongings considering levels of poverty in India and the rest of the world.

The sale was supposed to draw attention and publicise Ghandi's beliefs in non-violence and was reported on the same day that a protester from aptly named campaign group "Plane Stupid" threw green custard over Business Secretary Peter Mandelson. Why she did what she did doesn't matter to me now because whatever message she was trying to get across was spoiled by the violence she inflicted and will not be highlighted here. Some might think that the violence was small or justified to achieve the ends of the protester but it was violence none the less and must have no place in a modern democratic society.

Ghandi achieved the symbolic end of an empire through the use of non-violent protest. His teachings were of peace. This style of activism although further down the line is on the same line as terrorism and must not be tolerated. Changes are made by education (and not just by the government) and then the peaceful mobilisation of massive numbers of people against the establishment. Once violence is used then the cause is lost. It is a real shame that this young lady did what she did because it is people like her that make it difficult for legitimate, adult protesters to approach and engage with those in power and who can effect change.