Subject Index: Riots & Disturbances

The content on this site is put into subject categories. These pages list content filed under each subject. You can also use the Tag Index to see a full list of keywords used on the site.

Bread Or Batons?

Bread or Batons? The Old Market 'Riots' of February 1932 Since the 'Wall Street Crash' of 1929 joblessness in Bristol had risen to unprecedented levels; by February 1932 the situation was critical with whole districts blighted by the effects of mass unemployment. Jobless Bristolians rallied round the National Unemployed Workers’ Movement (NUWM), the main organisation opposing mass unemployment and Government 'means test'. The NUWM responded to the proposed austerity measures by organising a […]
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Alsatia

The idea is simple enough: to investigate the area of London known as Alsatia, and other similar ‘outlaw’ areas, their history, context and meanings. There are many tantalising references, but nothing substantial on the subject, so it offers challenges and rewards. Of course, I could just do some searching, some reading, and perhaps write an article or suchlike. But keeping track of all the fragments, questions and resonances requires some organization, and that in turn requires some tools. ... […]
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Protests in Brazil

armageddon
What's behind the protests that mobilized hundreds of thousands of Brazilians and shocked the country in the middle of the Confederations Cup? Who are the protesters and what are their flags and demands? What are the direction and the consequences of the mobilization? Two eye-witnesses will give a visual report on what happened in Sao Paolo and try to answer these questions.
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The Origins and an Account of Black Friday – 23rd December 1892

By Roger Ball
Autumn 1892 in Bristol saw a violent class war between employers, strike-breaking labour and police on one side and strikers and their mass of working-class supporters on the other; picketing, mass marches and public meetings of thousands of ‘new’ industrial unionists were common. The strike-wave culminated in the use of military and police by the local state to break up a pre-Christmas parade which had been organised to collect money for strikers and their families. This event, which popularly […]
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From Bristol with Love

By Randell Brantley
Two good interviews. First one is an interview with Noel in 2011 just after the August Riots. He talks about his involvement in the Hartcliffe Riots, 1981 Riots and football hooliganism. The second is an interview with Dean Forest from the Forest of Dean. He talks about local history, 'Who killed the Bears?', Hands Off Our Forest, Squatting, the Wilderness Centre and much more.
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Bold Defiance

By Alex (Past Tense)
The Spitalfields Silk Weavers: London’s Luddites? Pretty much everyone has heard of the Luddites, although many people still have a misconception about the reasons why they destroyed machinery. The weavers of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Lancashire and Leicestershire smashed machine looms not because they were blindly opposed to progress, or afraid of new technology, but because the introduction of machinery was undermining the livelihoods of themselves and their communities. They viewed new […]
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‘The Short Hot Summer’: The August Riots in the UK, 2011

Miscellaneous 2012
The Hold Out 2313 San Pablo Ave, Oakland CA, USA The August ‘riots’ in Britain last summer were portrayed by the media and politicians as the actions of ‘greedy feral youth’ or ‘gangs’ within a ‘criminal underclass’. Most of these politically loaded explanations were presented before what had happened was even known. Using hard research and the voices of participants, this event will provide an analysis of the ‘riots’ of August, considering what (actually) happened, who was involved and how they […]
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1932 Old Market Riot Map

Download a hi-res version (3mb) On Tuesday, 23rd February, an estimated 3,000 to 15,000 protesters from the National Unemployed Workers' Movement (NUWM) marched to protest about a cut in unemployment benefits. The police had banned the march, but the NUWM were not deterred. The peaceful procession followed a winding route but ended up on Old Market Street, where they were faced by a double row of police with batons drawn and backed up by mounted officers at the junction with Castle Street. The […]
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