Larbi Ben M'hidi
War of Independence
“"Throw the revolution into the street, and the people will carry it."”
Larbi Ben M'hidi understood that revolutions are won less by force than by belief. His calm conviction under interrogation turned a captured man into an enduring symbol of dignity.
He stands as a symbol of integrity, sacrifice, and the moral force of the Algerian revolution.
His arrest and death in the Battle of Algiers remain a measure of dignity under torture.
Calm, sharp, and almost ascetic in his discipline, Ben M'hidi was one of the six historic chiefs who launched the November 1954 insurrection. He led key operations in the Battle of Algiers and impressed even his interrogators with his composure during captivity.
Asked about "bombs in baskets", he is famously remembered to have answered: give us your planes, we will give you our baskets.
"Throw the revolution into the street, and the people will carry it," he said — and they did.