and without previously informing the Water Police, [he] landed near Addington with Mr. Laughton at about 5 o’clock. He was recognized by some boys, who followed him and his companion, and as they were proceeding along West Street, the main street of Durban, the crowd became large. Mr. Laughton was separated from him; Mr. Gandhi was kicked, whipped, stale fish and other missiles were thrown at him, which hurt his eye and cut his ear, and his hat was taken off his head. While this was going on, the wife of the Superintendent of Police, who happened to be passing by, bravely afforded protection with her umbrella, and the police, on hearing the yells and the cries, came to the rescue and escorted him safely to an Indian house. But the crowd which had, by this time, become very large, did not leave, and blockading the front of the house, demanded “Gandhi”. As darkness deepened, the crowd continued to swell. The Superintendent of Police, fearing serious disturbance and forcible entry into the house, had Mr. Gandhi removed to the Police Station disguised as a police constable. Your Memorialists do not wish to take any advantage of this incident; it is mentioned here as a part of the events. They are prepared to admit that the assault was the work of irresponsible persons and as such unworthy of notice. But at the same time, they cannot help remarking that had not the responsible members of the Committee incited the populace against him, and had not the Government countenanced the proceedings of the Committee, the incident would never have occurred. This closes the Demonstration.
Your Memorialists now crave leave to examine the immediate causes of the Demonstration. Statements appeared in the newspapers to the effect that there were 800 passengers on board the two ships, all being for Natal; that there were 50 blacksmiths and 30 compositors, and that there was a printing plant on board the Courland, and that Mr. Gandhi —
- had made a big mistake in imagining that the Europeans of Natal would sit still while he organized an independent immigration agency in India to land his countrymen here at the rate of 1,000 to 2,000 per month. (The Natal Mercury, 9th January)
The leader of the Demonstration thus explained the cause at a meeting held after the Demonstration:
- At the latter end of December he noticed a paragraph in The Natal Mercury to the effect that Mr. Gandhi intended suing the Government on behalf of the passengers on the two ships, the Courland and the Naderi, for damages, by reason of their being placed
