van Niekerk then presented an outline of his evidence stretching back to 1953 of the liberation movement's activities but his evidence was soon interrupted when violence broke out outside the court. After police began moving back the crowd of around a 1,000 black protesters, a policeman was injured by a stone and they retaliated by firing into the crowd and surrounding cars and shops, injuring fourteen people. Deputy Police Commissioner Colonel Piet Grobler was able to get his men to stop shooting and order was restored. The trial examination would continue on 21 December 1956 and the prosecutor presented his case as stating that the defendants were subversive, having attended the recent Congress of the People gathering at Kliptown where speeches had promoted Communism and the creation of the Freedom Charter, the need to seek help abroad and in other evidence, the need to raise money to buy firearms. With no charges yet presented to the individual detainees, bail was granted and the trial was then concluded until 9 January 1957. Rioting broke out at the end of the day's proceedings when police charged a group of 400 black South African protesters. On resumption of the preliminary hearing and an examination of the state's evidence on 9 January 1957, three more defendants were added to the charges bringing the number to 156 persons. The defence would argue that the Freedom Charter was not treasonous, that it did not call for violence and it argued for peace and racial harmony for the country. The hearing was still ongoing during August 1957, the accused were spending six hours each day in court. With the hearing to last a few more months, the magistrate had more 6,200 pages of testimony and 10,000 exhibits to examine and decide whether to pass the sentences himself or let the Attorney General decide whether to proceed to a trial. The trial was taking so long, the male prisoners formed a choir. On 17 December 1957, Attorney General W.J. McKenzie decided to drop charges against 61 and proceed to with the remaining 95 defendants on 13 January 1958. Albert Luthuli and 44 black, six white, four Indian and six coloured defendants were released. The hearing resumed on 13 January 1958 with the prosecutor informing the court of the names of those 61 defendants who had been cleared of further charges. The hearing concluded on 30 January 1958 with