pic6405. ‘Do You Believe People Should Die?’

After Nelson Mandela and seven of his co-accused were convicted of sabotage on 11 June 1964 there was a real danger that the trial judge would impose the death sentence. Supporters in London protested at South Africa House and 50 MPs marched from the House of Commons to present a petition to the ambassador. The actions culminated in a rally in Trafalgar Square on 14 June. The sentence of life imprisonment announced on 12 June was seen as a victory for the international campaign to save their lives.