Nelson Mandela 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013
Nelson Mandela who led the fight to dismantle apartheid in South Africa, has died.
Many hundreds stood in Nelson Mandela Square to hear tributes to Nelson Mandela.
Within hours of his passing, Glasgow mourned and honoured Nelson Mandela in the square named after him while he was still in prison. Many hundreds of people stood in the cold night to hear a wealth of speakers who paid tribute to Mandela.
Brian Filling, Honorary Consul of South Africa and at the forefront of the Anti-Apartheid Movement, hosted the tribute gathering.
The event was hosted by Brian Filling who was Chairman of the Scottish Anti-Apartheid Committee during the long years of Mandela’s incarceration on Robben Island, and is now Honorary Consul for South Africa.
Jean McFadden was City Council Leader when Mandela came to Glasgow in October, 1993 to receive the Freedom of the City and similar honours from nine other UK cities. Said Jean: ‘That was the proudest day of my life. Glasgow had been chosen to host the ceremony because it was the first city in the world to give him the Freedom of the City. I had the honour of leading Mr Mandela round each of the rooms in the city chambers where each city was able to greet him personally.’
She said his kindness in sitting down beside a councillor who’d had had a stroke and struggled to stand in Mandela’s presence, would never be forgotten. She went on: ”The Council took a bit of stick when we re-named this square Nelson Mandela Square in 1986 when Mandela was in prison and still denounced as a terrorist in some quarters including the Tories. But we’ve been vindicated!’
Graeme Smith, General Secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) said: ‘It is impossible to overstate the legacy of Nelson Mandela. Quite simply, he changed the world and gave hope to millions that even in the face of crushing injustice, a better future was possible.
‘Not only did he lead the people of South Africa to freedom, in overthrowing apartheid and returning his country to the family of Nations, he provided the most powerful example possible for all who are committed to the cause of social and economic justice.
‘He was an inspiration to me and to millions across the globe. He was an astonishing and remarkable human being – a man of great wisdom, dignity, fortitude, integrity and compassion. He endured decades of persecution with the same strength and courage he demonstrated in reaching out to his persecutors.
‘Nelson Mandela embodied all that is good in humanity. He was a revolutionary leader who became a President and the greatest statesman we have even known.
‘He did his duty and his long walk is over. Ours continues emboldened by his example.’
MP Ian Davidson proposed the resolution which finally produced the Freedom of the City of Glasgow for Nelson Mandela
In the crowd was Westminster MP Ian Davidson wearing his South African rugby tie. He proposed the original resolution in his Labour Party Branch. This was endorsed by the City, the Trades Union movement, the churches and the Anti-Apartheid movement to give Mandela the Freedom of the City while still a prisoner on Robben Island. ‘This is a happy/sad day,’ he told this website. ‘Mandela was a tremendous ikon for the entire world.’ Another person in the crowd was an 81 year old woman who’d travelled by bus from Ayrshire – and waited for the bus for an hour. ‘Mandela would have been heart broken at the African police shooting African miners, recently,’ she said. ‘Corporations still rule the world. So we still have to fight.’
Gordon Matheson, the current Leader of Glasgow City Council’s Labour Group offered the City’s ‘deep condolences’ to the people of South Africa. Humza Yousaf, Scottish Government Minister for External Affairs promised that the Nelson Mandela Day on 18 July 2014 would be ‘taken to a new level.’ He said it was a great privilege and honour to be alive while Mandela ‘the Colossus of history’ had been alive. ‘ He said: ‘One of Mandela’s sayings was -It always seems impossible until it’s done. - The best tribute we can give is to live his legacy and fight racism, fascism and inequality.’
The Rev Ian Whyte, a strong campaigner in the Scottish Anti-Apartheid Movement since the early days, said: ‘The Freedom of the City and a widespread boycott kept the flag flying. In the churches, not everyone was supportive, but people like Anne Hepburn of the Church of Scotland’s Woman’s Guild were a powerful force. The churches stood beside the Anti-Apartheid Movement. I was proud to be a comrade in the struggle.’
Westminster MP Anas Sarwar said: ‘We are sad he has died but proud he lived. He personified that anything is possible when fighting for freedom and justice. He gives us huge hope for the future and all those suffering now: children in Palestine; people in Afghanistan; those at war in Syria. He is the proof that you can fight and win if you believe in the cause and right is on your side. We must make sure we live Mandela’s values and pass them on to the generations who follow.’
The Eurydice socialist women’s choir sang Nkosi Sikelel, the South African national anthem and explained that in Africa, songs are tears and that was why so many people were singing outside Mandela’s home from the time his death had been announced. A Scottish group dedicated their songs – A Man’s a Man for a’ that; Your Daughters or Your Sons and Freedom for All – to the people who wanted to support what Mandela stood for – ‘making the world a better place.’
