massacres
"You don't mess with the government, idiots": Six killed at archealogical site occupation in Chiapas, Mexico
Mexican police on Friday shot and killed six peasants during and after an operation to end the popular occupation of an archealogical tourist site near Miguel Hidalgo, Chiapas.
The site at Chinkultic had been occupied by members of its surrounding villages since 7 September, following what villagers saw as its neglect by the INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia) - the state institution charged with maintaining the country's thousands of ruins sites - and the concentration of profits from tourism in the municipality (one of the poorest in Mexico) ou
US: The Thibodaux Massacre of 1887
One of the most interesting, and probably least known events in Louisiana history is the Thibodaux Massacre of 1887.The Thibodaux Massacre of 1887 was the second most bloody labor dispute in U.S. history.
Although most of the blood letting occurred in the environs of Thibodaux, the strike encompassed a larger area. The strike affected sugar plantations in St. Mary, Terrebonne ,and Lafourche parishes. These parishes make up an area known as the "sugar bowl." Thibodaux is the parish seat of Lafourche.
1912: The Lena Massacre
A short history of the brutal suppression of a strike by Russian gold miners protesting low wages and inhumane working conditions in 1912.
Situated in the dense forest of south-east Siberia, the massive goldfields that lined the river Lena were, at the turn of the century, amongst the most profitable enterprises in the Russian Empire. The Lena Gold Mining Joint Stock Company (Lenzoloto), the principal owner of the majority of goldfields in the region, was running at profits of 7,000,000 roubles a year.
1831: Merthyr Tydfil uprising
In 1831, Merthyr Tydfil, iron workers struck against redundancies, rising prices and bailiffs, leading to several thousand workers involved in riots that led to bloody suppression by troops and mass arrests.
Two articles on the riots are included, by local historian Bob Saunders, and an excerpt from the Newgate Calendar:
THE MERTHYR RISING 1831
Bob Saunders
BACKGROUND
1886: The Bay View Massacre
The little known history of the massacre that occurred in Milwaukee, when 7,000 building workers and 5,000 Polish workers demanded the eight-hour work day.
The deadly stand-off between workers and the National Guard was the culmination of events that began on Saturday May 1, 1886.
A historical marker, pictured above, is located at Russel and Superior on Jones Island in Bay View. It commemorates the Bay View Massacre.
1962: The Novocherkassk Tragedy
An account of the workers uprising in Novocherkassk, USSR, which lasted from June 1-3 and ended in a massacre and mass arrests.
The Novocherkassk Tragedy, June 1-3 1962
by Piotr Suda
1900: The assassination of King Umberto I of Italy
A short account of the assassination of King Umberto I of Italy in revenge for the brutal suppression of a workers' demonstration in Milan which left hundreds dead.
See also our biography of Gaetano Bresci
1892-1894: The prison revolt and massacre at Cayenne
A short history of the brutal repression at the Cayenne island prison camp in French Guyana. A rebellion against a prisoner's murder was followed by a massacre of anarchists by the authorities.
The Iles du Salut are situated off Cayenne, in what was French Guyana in South America. These three prison islands – of which Devil's Island is the most infamous - were reserved by the French authorities for hard cases, for repeated escapees and for political prisoners. In the course of time many anarchists were sent to these hell-holes.
1932: The Geneva Massacre
An account of the shooting of over 100 people by the Swiss army at an anti-fascist demonstration.
In 1932, the sympathisers of the Union Nationale fascist party led by Georges Oltramare planned to assemble on 9th November at the Salle Communale of Plainpalais in Geneva to publicly accuse the Socialist leaders Nicole and Dicker. The Socialist Party called a counter-demonstration.
1914: The Ludlow Massacre
The history of the Ludlow Massacre of striking coal miners, which was one of the most brutal attacks on organised labour in North American history.
Issues concerning labour had dogged the United States for many years preceding World War I and had resulted in widespread strike
