- Battle of George Square
The 1919 Battle of George Square, also known as Bloody Friday and Black Friday, was one of the worst
riot s on the streets ofGlasgow ,Scotland , which took place on Friday,31 January ,1919 cite web | url=http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/redclyde/redclyeve14.htm | title=Glasgow Digital Library - The battle of George Square (Bloody Friday) 1919 | publisher=Strathclyde University | accessdate=2006-07-24 ] . The dispute revolved around a campaign for shorter working hours, backed by widespreadstrike action . Clashes between police and protesters broke out, and led to the British Government sending soldiers to the city to prevent any further gatherings due to their fear of a left-wing workers revolution, described as a 'Bolshevist uprising' by the thenSecretary of State for Scotland cite web | url=http://www.redflag.org.uk/articles/art005.html | title=Red Clydeside | publisher=International Socialist Archives | accessdate=2006-07-24 ] , as had happened the previous year in the1917 Russian Revolution and was occurring in Germany whilst the 'Forty Hours' strike unfolded .The forty hours strike
The
Scottish TUC andClyde Workers' Committee called the '40 hours strike ' in January 1919 [cite web | url=http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/redclyde/redclyeve13.htm | title=Glasgow Digital Library - The 40-hours strike 1919 | publisher=Strathclyde University | accessdate=2006-07-24 ] to demand a reduction in working hours. The immediate objective was to alleviate unemployment by sharing out available work more widely. Unemployment was expected to be a major problem at the end of the war, as large numbers of soldiers were suddenly reintroduced to the labour force. In fact, a short post-war economic boom delayed the onset of mass unemployment for several years. However, some areas with much war-related industry, such as Glasgow, with its munitions factories and shipbuilding, suffered greatly from the ending of wartime employment.Before the
First World War , the working week was 54 hours but Scottish workers wanted it cut to 30.Emmanuel Shinwell , theGlasgow Trades Council president, persuaded them to go for 40 hours a week.A strikers' meeting was called for Monday,
27 January , and more than 3000 workers gathered atSt Andrew's Hall s. By Friday 31 January, this number had swollen to 'upwards of 60,000' . It was Scotland's first mass picket.The riot
The exact cause of the riot has been disputed - some sources indicate it was caused by an unprovoked
baton charge by theCity of Glasgow Police , whilst others indicate that strikers attempted to stop trams trying to run in the square . Fighting broke out between workers and police with the fighting spreading as far asGlasgow Green . Many people, women and children among them, were injured. More than a dozen strikers were taken toDuke Street Prison and later tried at theHigh Court of Justiciary inEdinburgh .Caused by trams?
Some sources indicate that trams running through the strike may have started the riot. City
magistrate s had been forewarned of the dangers of keeping trams on the streets at a time when 10,000 strikers were marching from the halls to occupyGeorge Square . But the warning was ignored, and the riot started after a tram tried to make its way through the square while strike leaders were inside the City Chambers awaiting talks with the Provost.oldiers in the streets
After the riot, soldiers with
machine gun s,tank s and ahowitzer , occupied Glasgow's streets for a week to deter any more gatherings. No Scottish troops were deployed, with the British government fearing that fellow Scots, soldiers or otherwise, would go over to the workers' side if a revolutionary situation developed in Glasgow. English troops were transported from England and stationed in Glasgow specifically to combat this possible scenario. The soldiers of theHighland Light Infantry , based in the city'sMaryhill barracks were subject to a lock-in, with an estimated 10,000 English troops and tanks sent into the city to control unrest and extinguish any revolution that should break out. (See alsoRed Clydeside )Consequences
Manny Shinwell ,William Gallacher andDavid Kirkwood were jailed for several months.A 47-hour week was eventually agreed with
trade unions .ee also
*
Red Clydeside References
*cite book|title=Scotland: The Story of a Nation
author=Magnus Magnusson
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