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Belfast Outdoor Relief Strike (1932)

Mon Oct 03, 1932

Image: Workers in Belfast 1932 preparing rocks for a battle with the police

On this day in 1932, 30,000 protesters in Belfast, Northern Ireland held a meeting on the Custom House steps to demand an increase in social welfare. When negotiations fell through, workers called a rent strike and battled with police.

On September 30th, 1932, 2,000 relief workers organized by the socialist Revolutionary Workers Group (RWG) voted to go on strike if their demands weren't met. These demands included the abolition of "task work", an increase in relief payments, all work schemes to be paid at trade union rates, and adequate outdoor allowances for all single unemployed men and women who were not receiving unemployment benefits.

On October 3rd, 1932, a crowd of 30,000 protesters marched from Frederick Street Labour Exchange, holding a mass meeting on the Custom House steps. Notably, Catholics and Protestants set aside their differences to unite in class struggle.

After negotiations with the relief workers fell through, they called a rent strike, lit bonfires in working class districts, and speakers from the strike committee addressed thousands. Thousands of police were called in. Over the next several days, protesters clashed in battles with police and many workers were killed and injured.

Workers won most of their demands, including big cash increases in their relief pay. One of the main demands, though, was not conceded - the giving of relief to single persons. Geehan and the other RWG members who were on the strike committee were heavily criticized for ending the strike before winning this demand.

• Date: 1932-10-03
• Learn More: libcom.org, socialistworker.co.uk.
• Tags: #Labor, #Tenant, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Tlatelolco Massacre (1968)

Wed Oct 02, 1968

Image: University students are held at gunpoint in Tlatelolco. As many as 300 people were killed, but most Mexican media published the army’s figure of 27. Photograph: AP

On this day in 1968, ~10,000 university and high school students gathered in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas of Tlatelolco, Mexico City were fired upon by the Mexican military, killing hundreds. More than 1,300 people were arrested.

The crowd, which also included non-students such as residential neighbors, bystanders, and children, had gathered to protest the government's actions and listen peacefully to speeches.

Although the Mexican government stated gunfire from the surrounding apartments prompted the army's attack, multiple eyewitness accounts claim they saw a military flare go up as a sign to begin firing on the crowd. The government also had hidden soldiers with machine guns in the apartment buildings they claimed they were fired upon from.

Estimates of the total killed range from 300-400, and over 1,300 people were arrested. The event radicalized Subcomandante Marcos, who later became a prominent member of the Zapatistas, an indigenous group that fights for liberation from the Mexican government.

The massacre also led CIA agent Philip Agee, an eyewitness to the violence, to resign from the organization in protest and author "Inside the Company: CIA Diary", which detailed his work on behalf of American imperialism and caused him to be deported from the United Kingdom.

• Date: 1968-10-02
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.npr.org, www.zinnedproject.org.
• Tags: #Massacre, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

The "Jerry Rescue" (1851)

Wed Oct 01, 1851

Image: A monument to the Jerry Rescue

On this day in 1851, arrested fugitive slave William "Jerry" Henry was broken out of jail by hundreds of abolitionists in Syracuse, New York. Jerry and prominent members of the rescue fled to Canada afterward.

Earlier that year, the pro-slavery Secretary of State Daniel Webster had warned that the new Fugitive Slave Act (passed in 1850) would be enforced even "here in Syracuse in the midst of the next Anti-Slavery Convention." The arrest was considered a message that the locally-unpopular law would be enforced by federal authorities.

The abolitionist Liberty Party was holding a state convention in Syracuse and, when Jerry's arrest became known, several hundred abolitionists broke into the city jail and freed him. The event came to be widely known as the "Jerry Rescue".

Jerry himself was hidden in Syracuse for several days, then was taken to the Orson Ames House in Mexico, New York, and from there to Oswego, before crossing Lake Ontario into freedom in Canada. Many of the prominent members of the jailbreak also fled to Canada, including Reverend J.W. Loguen and Minister Samuel Ringgold Ward.

• Date: 1851-10-01
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.nyhistory.com, www.cnyhistory.org.
• Tags: #Abolitionism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Trail of Tears (1838)

Mon Oct 01, 1838

Image: "The Trail of Tears", by Robert Lindneux, a painting depicting the forced removal of indigenous people.

On this day in 1838, the first major group of Cherokee, more than 12,000 people, were forced out of Tennessee, traveling westward from the town of Red Clay. A Choctaw leader called the forced deportations "a trail of tears and death".

The Trail of Tears was the cumulative result of a series of forced relocations of approximately 60,000-100,000 Native Americans in the United States from their ancestral homelands in the southeast to areas west of the Mississippi River that had been designated as "Indian Territory".

In 1837-38, President Martin Van Buren allowed Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama, using an armed force of 7,000 people, to relocate about 13,000 Cherokees to Cleveland, Tennessee. On October 1st, 1838, the first major group of Cherokee, more than 12,000 people in hundreds of covered wagons, were forced out of Tennessee, traveling westward from the town of Red Clay.

Taking the journey through an unusually cold winter, they suffered terribly from exposure, disease, and starvation, killing several thousand people while en route to their new designated reserve. They were also attacked by locals and economically exploited - starving Indians were charged a dollar a head, equal to $24.01 today, to cross the Ohio River, which typically charged twelve cents, equal to $2.88 today.

• Date: 1838-10-01
• Learn More: www.cherokeehistorical.org, georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Indigenous.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Ole Miss Riot (1962)

Sun Sep 30, 1962

Image: Photograph shows James Meredith walking to class accompanied by U.S. marshals. The men flanking Meredith are U.S. Marshal James McShane (left) and John Doar of the Justice Department (right)

On this day in 1962, white supremacists protesting the enrollment of James Meredith at the University of Mississippi rioted, killing 2 and injuring 300. On Oct. 1st, Meredith became the first black student enrolled at the institution.

Two civilians, one a French journalist, were killed during the night, and over 300 people were injured, including one-third of the federal law enforcement personnel deployed.

In anticipation of violence, Meredith was escorted by Federal Marshals and state police immediately after arriving in Oxford. Responding to the federal presence, a crowd of a thousand, mostly students⁠ - led by right-wing activist Edwin Walker⁠⁠⁠ - quickly crowded onto campus.

As the night went on, the crowd swelled to 3,000 and became increasingly violent. Early the next morning, a white mob attacked General Billingslea's staff car as it arrived at the university, setting it on fire with the staff inside.

On October 1st, Meredith became the first black student to be enrolled at the University of Mississippi. With 24-hour military security, he graduated from the university on August 18th, 1963 with a degree in political science.

• Date: 1962-09-30
• Learn More: www.blackpast.org, en.wikipedia.org, www.youtube.com.
• Tags: #Riots.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Michael Parenti (1933 - )

Sat Sep 30, 1933

Michael Parenti, born on this day in 1933, is a Marxist American political scientist and cultural critic. He has taught at American and international universities and has been a guest lecturer before campus and community audiences.

Among Parenti's works are "Blackshirts & Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism", which details political and living conditions in the Soviet Bloc, as well as "To Kill a Nation: The Attack on Yugoslavia", which vehemently condemned the NATO bombing of that country.

"No surprise then that the 'pure' socialists support every revolution except for the ones that succeed."

- Michael Parenti

• Date: 1933-09-30
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.michaelparenti.org.
• Tags: #Marxism, #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Missoula Free Speech Fight (1909)

Wed Sep 29, 1909

Image: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn addressing strikers in Paterson, N.J. (1913) [socialistworker.org]

"Free Speech Fights" refers to to struggles over free speech involving the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in the early 20th century. The IWW members, along with other radical groups, were often met with opposition (violent and otherwise) from local governments and especially business leaders, in their attempts to exercise their right to free speech.

On this day in 1909, a 19 year old Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, already a prominent member of the IWW, and her husband Jack Jones were arrested for speaking on a street corner in Missoula, Montana. Flynn put out the word, declaring, "we need volunteers to go to jail".

IWW poured in from the surrounding territory, getting arrested and overwhelming the local jail facilities. Some were offered immediate release, but they refused and insisted on a jury trial to remain in jail.

Eventually, on October 8th, the city had had enough with the IWW members and dropped all charges related to the exercise of speech, allowing them to speak where they wished, provided they didn't block the flow of traffic.

• Date: 1909-09-29
• Learn More: libcom.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #IWW.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Samora Machel (1933 - 1986)

Fri Sep 29, 1933

Samora Machel, born on this day in 1933, was a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary who served as President of independent Mozambique in 1975. "Marxism is a shining path, a sun of hope and certainty that never sets, that is always at its zenith."

Before serving as president, Machel had led the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) against colonial forces from 1970 until the political aftermath of the Portuguese Carnation Revolution ended the war four years later.

On June 25th, 1975, Mozambique became a formally independent nation with Machel serving as its first President. He stated the new nation would be "a state of People's Democracy, in which, under the leadership of the worker-peasant alliance, all patriotic strata commit themselves to the destruction of the sequels of colonialism, and to annihilate the system of exploitation of man by man".

On October 19th, 1986, Machel attended a summit in Mbala, Zambia, called to put pressure on Zairean dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, over his support for the Angolan opposition movement UNITA. On his return trip to Maputo (the capital of Mozambique), Machel's plane crashed near the Mozambican-South African border, killing him and 33 others.

"For the oppressed peoples and classes, for the peoples and workers who have taken control of their destiny, Marxism is a shining path, a sun of hope and certainty that never sets, a sun that is always at its zenith."

- Samora Machel

• Date: 1933-09-29
• Learn More: www.sahistory.org.za, www.marxists.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Marxism, #Birthdays, #Colonialism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

First International Founded (1864)

Wed Sep 28, 1864

Image: Logo of the Spanish Regional Association of the International Workingmen's Association [Wikipedia]

The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), commonly known as the First International, was an organization aimed at uniting different left-wing ideologies founded on this day in 1864.

Notable members of the IWA included Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Wilhelm Liebknecht, Louis Auguste Blanqui, Karl Marx, and Mikhail Bakunin. The organization was polarized on the issue of state power (followers of Bakunin and Proudhon categorically opposed state power and considered Marx's ideas inherently authoritarian), and split on this basis after its Fifth Congress in 1872.

On hearing of the First International's split, Otto von Bismarck remarked "crowned heads, wealth and privilege may well tremble should ever again the Black and Red unite!"

• Date: 1864-09-28
• Learn More: socialistworker.co.uk, en.wikipedia.org, www.marxists.org, www.marxist.com.
• Tags: #Marxism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Brixton Riot (1985)

Sat Sep 28, 1985

Image: Dorothy "Cherry" Groce in a London hospital after being shot by police [theguardian.com]

On this day in 1985, a race riot broke out in Brixton after London Metropolitan Police shot and paralyzed Jamaican immigrant Dorothy "Cherry" Groce. She later won £500,000 in compensation from the police with no admission of liability.

Police shot Groce during a raid on her home, in which police were looking for her son, who was not there at the time.

As word of the shooting spread, a group of more than 60 people formed outside Groce's house, later moving to the local district police station, chanting anti-police slogans and demanding disciplinary action against the officers involved.

There, hostility between the largely black crowd and the largely white police force quickly escalated to violence, and then rioting. Police lost control of the area for the next two days. Police, community residents, and bypassers were all attacked, leading to the death of at least one person and injuring dozens.

Cherry Groce received later received over £500,000 in compensation from the Metropolitan Police, but with no admission of liability. In 2014 - three years after her death - the police issued a formal apology for her shooting.

• Date: 1985-09-28
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, news.bbc.co.uk, www.theguardian.com.
• Tags: #Riots.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Battle of Holbeck Moor (1936)

Sun Sep 27, 1936

Image: A contemporary front page story on the Battle of Holbeck Moor, headlined "Sir Oswald Mosley Hit on the Head with a Stone". September 28th, 1936 [secretlibraryleeds.net]

On this day in 1936, the Battle of Holbeck Moor took place in Leeds, England when anti-fascist demonstrators disrupted a rally held by the British Union of Fascists (BUF), led by Oswald Mosley.

The 1,000 fascist demonstrators were greeted by approximately 30,000 locals in a protest organized by the Communist Party. Due to political differences with the Communist Party, the Labour Party did not attend.

When Mosley attempted to give a speech from atop a van, the protesters surrounded the van and sang "The Red Flag" in order to drown out Mosley's speech. Many threw stones at the Fascists, with at least one hitting Mosley in the temple. Outnumbered and facing violence, the BUF members dispersed.

The Battle of Holbeck Moor happened just a week prior to the more well-known Battle of Cable Street, in which a BUF rally led by Oswald Mosley was again forcibly dispersed by anti-fascist demonstrators.

• Date: 1936-09-27
• Learn More: secretlibraryleeds.net, www.yorkshirepost.co.uk, tribunemag.co.uk.
• Tags: #Communism, #Labor, #Fascism, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Chicago Garment Workers Strike (1915)

Mon Sep 27, 1915

Image: *Chicago newspaper "The Day Book" headline on September 27th, 1915, reading: "5,000 WORKERS OUT

30,000 TO FOLLOW Whole Clothing Industry Threatened With Tie-up - Healy Answers Bosses Demands - Has Hundreds of Coppers Ready for Action."*

On this day in 1915, 5,000 garment workers in Chicago walked out on strike, demanding a 48 hour work-week, overtime pay, union recognition, a wage increase, and an end to blacklisting. By the 29th, more than 25,000 workers were striking.

On September 14th, a meeting of approximately 5,000 garment workers in Chicago agreed on a list of demands to send to their employers and to collectively go on strike on September 27th if their demands were not met.

The demands included a 48 hour work-week, overtime pay, union recognition, a wage increase, and an end to blacklisting practices. Management not only did not meet the demands, they refused to negotiate with the workers entirely and pre-emptively requested police protection of their factories.

On September 27th, as planned, 5,000 garment workers walked out on strike. By September 29th, the amount of workers out had grown to 25,000. The strike was plagued with violence and police brutality, and multiple attempts by the city government to arbitrate the strike failed.

The labor action finally ended on December 12th, 1915 and, while the workers' union was not recognized, they won some of the demands from their employers.

• Date: 1915-09-27
• Learn More: books.google.com, www.newspapers.com.
• Tags: #Labor.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org