Committed nonviolence has the potential to change those kind of things and has far more chance of winning a future worth living than the kind of violent resistance that the authorities know how to deal with. There is a kind of collusion between the advocates of violence on both sides, they serve to justify each other.

But committed nonviolence is very hard indeed, when it is faced by those determined to break it brutally. It involves people having their lives damaged, and it involves dying.

Recently I saw the film 5 Broken Cameras, which brings that very much home. It tells the story of a nonviolent struggle carried on over years by a palestinian village facing the encroaching wall and an illegal settlement. It is particularly heart breaking, because you get to know the people, and those killed are people you have grown to respect and admire, and wonder at their courage.   Here is a link to the film on Youtube.