6 times “criminals” were on the right side of history!

Let us take a look at 6 examples where “criminals” were on the right side of history...

Today it is difficult to imagine this iconic Thracian gladiator as anything but a hero. Apparently doomed to a short life of being forced to kill for entertainment, he turned on his owners and was a key player in the anti-slavery movement. He spent the rest of his life a criminal and an outlaw, fighting against the slaving Roman Empire, and was ultimately killed for fighting for his freedom; something which today would have been his basic human right. Whilst his violent methods should be deplored amongst the activists of today; he was ahead of his time in calling for the end of slavery.

Contrary to what may have been the case in Spartacus’ times, Gandhi heralded in a modern era of activism; teaching the world that violence need not be fought with violence. Gandhi led the decolonization of India and was an advocate for Indian civil rights In South Africa. Despite the peaceful nature of his protesting, he was arrested on charges of sedition by British officials in Mumbai and sentenced to 6 years in prison.

If everyone conscripted had this frame of mind at the time, perhaps no war and 20 million unnecessary deaths would have occurred at all. Yet they were still, also, described as criminals. “Thirty- four were sentenced to death after being court martialled but had their sentences commuted to penal servitude”.

“Under Priti Patel’s rule even the Suffragettes would have been silenced” cried Caroline Lucas, in concern of the overreach of police called upon to clear peaceful XR protestors in Trafalgar Square. As mentioned by Lucas, many Suffragettes in their attempts to achieve equal voting rights for women, were regarded notorious “criminals”. One notable example being Hilda Burkitt who took charge of publicity campaigns in the Midlands. She got arrested several times between 1909 and 1914 and went on hunger strike and was forcibly fed 292 times during her time in prison. Without women like Hilda, women still may not have voting privileges.

There were numerous individuals who dedicated their lives to helping and saving the Jewish people from the Holocaust. Giving assistance to any Jews was a crime punishable by death. All these now considered heroes would have been considered “criminals” at the time. Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, recognised 26,973 people as “Righteous among the Nations”, an honorific used to describe non-Jewish rescuers who risked their lives. One notable example was Irena Stanisława Sendler, leader of the children’s department of Zegota, a council dedicated to saving Jewish victims. In total, she saved 2500 children by helping them to escape from the Warsaw ghetto, an area where victims were imprisoned temporarily before being deported to Nazi concentration camps. She smuggled them out, gave them fake identifications, housed them with willing polish families and many herself. She was ultimately caught by the Gestapo police and sentenced to death. After enduring days of torture, she managed to keep all the names and the locations of the children she saved safe and only narrowly escaped on the day of her execution.

Finally, Mandela and individuals belonging to the African National Congress (ANC) fighting against racial discrimination against non-white people during the Apartheid, were again “criminals” of their time. In fact, as many will recall, Mandela, alongside other ANC activists, served 27 years in prison in total for conspiring to overthrow the National Party’s, white person only government. However, despite being a “criminal”, Mandela and fellow activists, ultimately ended the Apartheid. Mandela became president and is now looked upon as the founding father of democracy, a symbol of justice and equality.

Laws are designed to protect individuals and to create a harmonious society that all can live in at peace. However, it is our job as the public to challenge and create new laws as different threats arise. It is vital for our survival. Sometimes this may create civil unrest, but this unrest is required for our adaption to ever changing global and societal pressures.

Although members of the public may refer to XR as “a load of criminals” right now, they may be looked back on tomorrow (if they succeed) as champions, just like some of these individuals.

After all, if successful, their activism could play a key role in shaping a survivable world that future generations can enjoy.