21 October 1935: St Vincent Labour rebellion
On this day, 21 October 1935, the St Vincent labour rebellion began on the British-occupied Caribbean island when workers protesting against high prices in the capital, Kingstown, were fired on by police. People were protesting against plans to maintain sugar tariffs which helped producers at the expense of consumers. They held an angry rally outside the courthouse, where they smashed windows and damaged the cars of officials. The governor and attorney general were attacked, and the crowd ransacked the office of a councillor and plantation owner, and liberated 10 prisoners. Armed police read the Riot Act and then began firing into the crowd, killing one and injuring several. Rioting then spread to Georgetown and Chateaubelair, and protesters cut telephone wires and destroyed bridges. At midnight that night, a British warship arrived and authorities declared a state of emergency the next day which lasted for 3 weeks. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9431/st-vincent-labour-rebellion 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