London: The pages of history always reeks of blood. It has never seen the dawn of the peaceful day. The words describe the darkness of the bloody past. Among them is the Manchester 1819 incident which is also called the 'Peterloo Massacre' which described the bloody chapter in English democratic history.
The Peterloo Massacre: 60,000 protesters were attacked by armed cavalry during the Peterloo Massacre which took place 200 years ago.
Protesters under the 'Bread and Liberty' banner demanded political reform and the right for universal suffrage.
By the following day, 60,000 disenfranchised workers had gathered in Peterloo Fields to listen to radical reformers rallying the crowds and demanding change.
When magistrates ordered the speakers to be arrested, the cavalry was sent in.
What followed has now gone down in history as the worst violence ever to occur at a political meeting in Britain.
As the cavalry attempted to disperse the crowd, people were trampled by horses.
Foundation of Manchester Guardian:
The event prompted John Edward Taylor to start his paper 'The Manchester Guardian' to campaign for reform.
To mark the anniversary, London's National Archives is displaying an extensive collection of first-hand documents and images relating to the massacre.
The tragic event which took place on 16 August 1819 was depicted in a historical drama 'Peterloo' in 2018 by veteran British director Mike Leigh.
The film depicted the reality of that incident and was also picked up for the Human rights Film Network Award at the Venice Film Festival.
The changes made:
After the incident, the government passed the 'Six Acts' which restricts people protesting for reform through both demonstrations and publications.
Peterloo is credited to bring a wave of change in British politics but the real change appeared almost a hundred years later.
The Peterloo protesters demand became law but it was only for the men and for the women they had to wait for another ten years.
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