20 October 1901: Rosario sugar strike
On this day, 20 October 1901, hundreds of workers at the sugar refinery in Rosario, Argentina, demonstrated outside their factory for a pay increase and a maximum 10-hour working day. The strike was attended by anarchist leaders such as Romulo Ovidi. After being identified by the police, the officers tried to arrest them without provocation, unleashing disorder, which they tried to suppress with sabres. Anarchist and Yugoslavian migrant worker Cosme Budislavich, 34, was shot in the back of the head by the police as he tried to flee the scene. Later, officers arrested other workers and witnesses. The working class of various industries - including railway workers, mill workers and bricklayers - responded three days later with a general strike and a repudiation rally attended by more than 8000 people, including Virginia Bolten. Today, a square in Rosario is named after Cosme Budislavich. Before the strike, Florencio Sánchez, journalist and playwright, wrote: "Workers! Everywhere in the world our comrades are fighting for their welfare against the usurers of all countries, showing that the exploited are not ready to compromise. The time of the sheep who let themselves be sheared is gone. The bosses have henchmen to guard the wealth produced by us; they have everything they need to resist: we have our arms and our unbreakable will to defend ourselves and to triumph. And when they think to crush us by hunger, let us agree that bread and freedom are not asked for, they are taken". "We are all exploited and therefore we must unite to fight against capital. Long live workers' solidarity! Long live the strike!" More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9321/cosme-budislavich-killed-by-police Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory. See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/today Browse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/date Check out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.com Check out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com If you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History