John Maclean MA, Scottish Socialist agitator was a prominent activist against World War I. On 8th May 1918 he was tried for his anti-war activities at the High Court in Edinburgh. He used this trial to propogandise for socialism and against war by making a renowned speech.

This speech from the dock has passed into folklore for the Scottish left.

It begins:

It has been said that they cannot fathom my motive. For the full period of my active life I have been a teacher of economics to the working classes, and my contention has always been that capitalism is rotten to its foundations, and must give place to a new society. I had a lecture, the principal heading of which was "Thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not kill", and I pointed out that as a consequence of the robbery that goes on in all civilised countries today, our respective countries have had to keep armies, and that inevitably our armies must clash together.

On that and on other grounds, I consider capitalism the most infamous, bloody and evil system that mankind has ever witnessed.

External link

• Text of John Maclean's Speech From the Dock