"It suggests that, while she accepts that what she did to protest apartheid was illegal, she rejects the idea that she did anything that was morally wrong."
This passage suggests that Inglis believes the events were unfair.
Using the word "peaceful" shows that she believes that was she did was fine because they were not hurting anyone, and that she did not believe she should have been arrested. Also, putting "illegal gathering" in quotations shows that she doesn't actually believe that what she was doing was illegal.
