Was Steve Biko, South African hero and martyr, a gun-smuggler? His close friends say, "No!" Rubin "Hurricane" Carter told his biographer, James Hirsch, that he smuggled guns to Steve Biko. Here's why Hirsch, an experienced journalist, should have been skeptical:
Steve Biko 1946 - 1977
Rubin Carter: Civil Rights phony-- Carter's tall tales about : speaking out against police brutality the Selma March the Watts Riots gun smuggling	Here's the story, as told in Hurricane by James Hirsch: Carter first went to Johannesburg in August of 1965 for a boxing match. There, his "guide" was 18-year-old Steve Biko, who would go on to become a leader of Black resistance to the repressive Apartheid regime. Biko took Carter to some of the clandestine meetings of the African National Congress, or ANC. Hirsch writes that Carter was so moved by the struggles of his South African brothers and sisters that when he returned to New Jersey he decided he "wanted to smuggle guns to the ANC. He prowled through bars in New Jersey and New York, where customers down on their luck traded their shotguns and pistols for drinks and tavern owners sold the arms on the black market. Carter bought enough weapons to fill four duffel bags, then persuaded the promoters in Johannesburg to set up another fight.... He proudly delivered the guns to a grateful Biko, and he knocked out (Ernie) Burford in the eighth round.” Is this story doubtful? Let me count the ways.... Biko's closest friend and confidante, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, says Biko never mentioned this escapade to her. She points out: "Stephen Biko was a high school student at a Catholic School - Marian Hill in 1965. He could not have been able to be in Johannesburg at the same time let alone act as guide to Rubin Carter. The bag of guns and clandestine ANC meetings are also a mystery. He was not a member of the ANC or any of the then-banned organizations." Steve Biko was a moderate, not a guerilla fighter. Here's what Biko's biographer and good friend Daniel Woods said after Biko's death: Steve Biko foresaw violence and bloodshed in South Africa.... But to suggest that he advocated it or desired it is a despicable lie. Steve Biko did not live in Johannesburg -- he lived 500 miles away. He was born in King William's Town in the Eastern Cape, he went to school in Natal province and, until he died of head injuries while in police custody, he lived in Natal province. Steve Biko was the founder of the Black Consciousness movement. He was not associated with the ANC or with its guerilla wing, Umkhonto We Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). How did Carter smuggle four duffel bags full of guns into a country that was on high alert against guerillas? No details are provided in Hirsch's book. If the story is true, why didn't Carter tell his good friends, the Canadians? He lived with them for many years -- are we supposed to believe he never mentioned it? If he had, surely they would have thrilled to the adventure and told the story in their book, Lazarus and the Hurricane. But they didn't. The story is pretty flexible -- Carter has changed the dates several times. On a recent visit to Australia, Carter was at a big event with Nelson Mandela. He "backdated" the Biko story, so Carter's African trip coincided with Mandela's 1964 treason trial. Here's what Carter said: ``I went there [to South Africa] to fight and my road companion was a young 16-year-old called Steven Biko and that's when I learned about Nelson Mandela. While I was in South Africa, Nelson was going on trial at the time and the stance that he took was the inspiration that gave me the ability to stand up for what was right." In fact Carter went to South Africa in '65 and '66, after Mandela's trial, when Mandela was in jail and could not be quoted in the South African media. Bonus Round: Carter also claimed he met Biko in 1963. He and James Hirsch were interviewed by Christopher Lydon, WBUR Boston radio, on February 23, 2000 and Carter was discussing the civil rights movement in the 60's. Lydon: “Do you remember the moment when you as a young man signed on -- when your political and moral mind came alive?” Carter: “Perfectly well... [I went to South Africa] and it just so happened that my guide at that time in South Africa was a little 16-year-old youngster. That youngster’s name was Steven Biko, who turned out to be one of the greatest human rights people in South Africa. He took me around to ANC meetings... that was my political awakening.” Lydon: “You went to fight?” Carter: “Yes, I went to fight.” Lydon: “What was the year?” Carter: “In ‘Sixty-three -- ” Hirsch: “ ‘Sixty-five.” [Oops! Hirsch has to butt in with the correct date] Carter: “ ‘Sixty-five? Well, I went there twice --” Hirsch: “Yes, the first time in ‘Sixty-five.” [Hirsch can't take a hint]     Hurricane Carter dressed up as a Zulu warrior in South Africa. "In a little Bantu village right outside of Johannesburg, after my fight with their... champ, Joe "Ax-killer" Ngidi... I was named a Chief of the Zulu Tribe. "Nigi" they christened me -- the man with the beautiful beard. If you'd like to learn more about the remarkable Steve Biko, a true hero and martyr, visit the Steve Biko Foundation

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