维基上的
南非的公民权利运动
1893年4月, 一家印度公司派甘地到南非工作。他看到印度移民在南非的公民自由和政治权利在很大程度上被剥夺的现状,很是灰心。这些移民主要是契约佣工和个体商人。于是他开始抗议和游说,反对针对南非印度人的法律和种族歧视。有人因此批评他没有将抗议的对象扩展到针对全体非洲人的法律。在他在南非的早期,有一件事常被人提起。那就是他买了一张一等车厢的车票,拒绝换到三等车厢,被人从彼得马里茨堡火车中扔了出去。1903年6月,甘地组织了一场抗议运动针对“黑法令”(The Black Act),这个法令强制所有在南非的亚洲人接受登记。1913年9月,他参加了一场抗议不按照天主教仪式结婚就无效的运动。
具体关于黑法令,是强制按手印,一种歧视与侮辱,甘地发动超过2000的印度人拒绝印手印,当局虽然关了他们,但是事情闹得很大,所以最后当局也只能妥协。并放了大家。能够有这么多人有胆量,我觉得印度人还是挺齐心的,也是有勇气的。
Gandhi showed what non-violence can attain when he organized the non-violent burning of registration cards the government of South Africa issued to the Indians. They were to be completed and all Indians were to get there finger prints taken. If they did not do this they would be faced with imprisonment or deportation. Gandhi saw this as an insult and wanted stop the government from enforcing this and making it required. In order to show the government that the Indians would not take this he organized a meeting of 2000 people in which they all burned their registration cards. As a result hundreds of Indians were arrested and put in jail. They did not put up a fight in court. Gandhi was also imprisoned. The government realized they could not simply imprison the whole Indian population. The government compromised with Gandhi and agreed to free the prisoners and repeal the “Black Act” as long as the Indians would voluntarily register themselves. This met Gandhi's demands and he voluntarily registered.
They simply refused to take part in the registration process because they believed it was insulting, and was simply a tool for the white rulers to hold the Indians of South Africa down. The government in this case stated it was against the law to not register. They assumed that most would obey, and they would possibly have to jail a minority who didn't. By organizing a large group to protest, and refuse to register themselves, it creates a problem because the government can’t put that many people in jail. They don’t have the resources as well as they would look like villains in the eyes of others when the populous finds out how many people were being jailed simply because they didn’t register.