Working Class Calendar

Burning of Jaffna Public Library (1981)

Mon Jun 01, 1981

Image: A framed photograph of the burned ruins of Jaffna Public Library, following the fire of 1981 [countercurrents.org]

On this day in 1981, a Sinhalese mob burned Jaffna Public Library in Sri Lanka, one of the worst examples of ethnic book burning in the 20th century. The library was one of the biggest in Asia, containing over 97k books and manuscripts.

The attack on Jaffna was part of a multi-day, anti-Tamil pogrom by Sri Lankan state forces, following a rally held by the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). Many business establishments, a local Hindu temple, and a newspaper office were also destroyed, and statues of Tamil cultural and religious figures were defaced.

At the time of the Library's destruction, it contained irreplaceable documents of great importance to Tamil culture, items such as the only existing copy of a history of Jaffna written by Tamil poet Mayilvagana Pulavar in 1736. According to author Kumarathasan Rasingam, the Library also served as a cultural hub for the Tamil community.

In 1998, under president Chandrika Kumaratunga, the government began the process to rebuild the Jaffna Public Library with contributions from Sri Lankans and foreign governments, and it was re-opened to the public several years later.

• Date: 1981-06-01
• Learn More: countercurrents.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Stand for Children Rally (1996)

Sat Jun 01, 1996

Image: A still from C-Span footage of the 1996 Stand for Children rally

On this day in 1996, the largest pro-children rally in U.S. history, more than 300k strong, began in D.C., leading to the founding of "Stand for Children". SFC would later accept money from American oligarchs and fight teachers' unions.

Organized by Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund, the rally had many speakers of note, including Rosa Parks, who quipped "If I can sit down for justice, you can stand up for children." Following their work at the rally, Jonah Edelman and Eliza Leighton founded SFC as a vehicle to advocate for the nation's children.

The organization has faced criticism for its ultra-wealthy donors, including the Walton Family and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations, and board members, such as the daughter of billionaire Michael Bloomberg and Steve Jobs' wife. The SFC has also worked to undermine the Chicago Teachers Union.

Susan Barrett, a former volunteer co-leader of a SFC team in Portland, Oregon, resigned from her position with SCF due to concerns along these lines. In a blog post published by the Washington Post, Barrett criticizes the group for allowing corporate influence to corrupt the popular roots of the organization.

• Date: 1996-06-01
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.washingtonpost.com.
• Tags: #Labor.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Tulsa Race Massacre (1921)

Tue May 31, 1921

Image: A photo showing the aftermath of the Tulsa Race Massacre, showing a city block razed to the ground. From the Universal History Archive [mashable.com]

On this day in 1921, the Tulsa Race Massacre began when mobs of white people attacked residents and businesses of the Greenwood District, known as "Black Wall Street", killing hundreds and rendering 10,000 black families homeless.

Historian Scott Ellsworth called it "the single worst incident of racial violence in American history", with estimates ranging from 75-300 people killed, 800 wounded, and 10,000 black families made homeless from the destruction of property.

The massacre began over Memorial Day weekend after 19-year-old Dick Rowland, a black shoeshiner, was accused of assaulting Sarah Page, the 17-year-old white elevator operator of the nearby Drexel Building. When a lynch mob formed at the jail, an armed group of black men showed up to counter it.

Shots rang out when a white person tried to disarm one of the black men. The initial violence left ten people dead, and a mob of enraged white people stormed black neighborhoods, indiscriminately killing families, setting fires, and destroying property.

As crews from the Tulsa Fire Department arrived to put out fires, they were turned away at gunpoint. One account stated "It would mean a fireman's life to turn a stream of water on one of those negro buildings. They shot at us all morning when we were trying to do something but none of my men was hit. There is not a chance in the world to get through that mob into the negro district."

Several eyewitnesses described airplanes carrying white assailants, who fired rifles and dropped firebombs on buildings, homes, and fleeing families. The privately owned aircraft had been dispatched from the nearby Curtiss-Southwest Field outside Tulsa. Law enforcement officials later claimed that the planes were to provide reconnaissance and protect against a "Negro uprising".

Multiple eyewitness accounts said that on the morning of June 1st, at least a dozen planes circled the neighborhood and dropped "burning turpentine balls" on an office, a hotel, a filling station, and other buildings.

For 75 years (until 1996), the massacre was almost totally omitted from local, state, and national histories. It was not recognized in the Tulsa Tribune feature of "Fifteen Years Ago Today" or "Twenty-Five Years Ago Today". A 2017 report detailing the history of the Tulsa Fire Department from 1897 until the date of publication made no mention of the 1921 mass arson.

In 2015, a previously unknown written eyewitness account of the Tulsa Race Massacre from attorney Buck Colbert Franklin was discovered. Franklin wrote: "The sidewalks were literally covered with burning turpentine balls. I knew all too well where they came from, and I knew all too well why every burning building first caught fire from the top...I paused and waited for an opportune time to escape. 'Where oh where is our splendid fire department with its half dozen stations?' I asked myself, 'Is the city in conspiracy with the mob?'"

• Date: 1921-05-31
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.smithsonianmag.com.
• Tags: #Massacre.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Morral Affair (1906)

Thu May 31, 1906

Image: Photograph of the assassination attempt on King Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenia at the moment of the bomb's explosion [Wikipedia]

On this day in 1906, revolutionary anarchist Mateu Morral attempted to assassinate Spanish King Alfonso XIII and his bride via bomb. The attack failed, killing 24 bystanders, and caused state persecution of other anarchists.

Mateu Morral was a young, wealthy anarchist who had recently worked at Escuela Moderna, an anarchist school in Barcelona, Spain, founded and ran by Francisco Ferrer. In the weeks leading up to the attack, Mateu took a leave of absence from the school, citing illness.

On May 31st, 1906, Mateu Morral threw a bomb, obscured in a bouquet of flowers, from a hotel balcony at King Alfonso XIII's car as he returned with his bridge Victoria Eugenie from their wedding in Madrid. While the King and Queen were unscathed, 24 bystanders and soldiers were killed, and over 100 more wounded.

Morral fled the scene and sought refuge from Republican (although explicitly anti-anarchist) journalist José Nakens. Nakens reluctantly gave Morral shelter, but Mateu grew mistrustful the same night and fled. A few days later, he was discovered at a Madrid railway station and killed a police officer and himself rather than be taken into custody.

Authorities used the 1906 regicide attempt as a pretext to suppress Ferrer and his educational work. Ferrer was arrested within a week of the attack and charged with both its organization and recruiting of Morral. He was imprisoned for a year while prosecutors pursued evidence for his trial, and was ultimately acquitted.

Modern historians disagree to the extent of Ferrer's involvement. Historian of anarchism Paul Avrich has stated "Barring the discovery of conclusive evidence, Ferrer's role in the Morral affair must remain an open question."

Ferrer was executed by the Spanish government three years later, after a farcical trial convicted him of orchestrating a period of insurrection known as Barcelona's "Tragic Week".

• Date: 1906-05-31
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, books.google.com.
• Tags: #Assassinations, #Anarchism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Merthyr Rising (1831)

Mon May 30, 1831

Image: Illustration by Hablot Knight Browne depicting people raising a red flag during the Merthyr Rising of 1831 [WikiCommons]

On this day in 1831, workers in the Welsh mining town of Merthyr Tydfil initiated an uprising against the capitalist class, reclaiming goods seized by debtors, striking, and flying the red flag as working class symbol for the first time.

The town of Merthyr Tydfil started becoming a major industrial hub as early as the 18th century, developing a class of bourgeois "ironmasters", while the poor suffered from pollution, disease, and work-related injuries. As economic crises in the late 1820s worsened living conditions, the people of Merthyr began to agitate for political change.

Reform-minded ironmaster William Crawshay co-founded the "Political Union of Merthyr" in 1830 to fight for "democratic and humanitarian reforms", such as universal suffrage and parliamentary reform. Crawshay also tried to keep his worker's wages high and produce a higher amount of iron than what the market demanded to expand his workforce.

In the midst of an enduring economic crisis, Crawshay began cutting wages in March 1831. In response, workers abandoned the reformist Political Union and protesting en masse. In Merthyr, huge crowds burned effigies of prominent Tories in the streets, called for opponents of Reform to be hanged, and known Tories found their windows smashed and their businesses looted.

On May 23rd, dozens of miners and "puddlers" (those known for participating in political agitation) received new, deeper wage cuts, and 84 were dismissed altogether.

A week later, on May 30th, 1831, workers assembled at Waum Common, where they made speeches, carried banners and formulated demands, marking the beginning of the Rising. Despite the spontaneous and leaderless character of the protests, a four-point program emerged: abolition of the Court of Requests, the abolition of debt imprisonment, new laws against price gouging, and no hiring of new miners on lower wages than their predecessors.

The following day, workers reclaimed goods that had been seized by debtors. Protestors marched to the mines, where they convinced those still working to join the resistance. A general strike broke out, and workers effectively seized control of Merthyr Tydfil, a key engine of British industrial production.

With Crawshay's help, the army was soon dispatched in order to restore state control, but, finding themselves outnumbered by an armed citizenry, soldiers were forced to fall back. Rebels defeated successive military units before the rebellion was finally put down on April 7th.

• Date: 1831-05-30
• Learn More: www.socialist.net, libcom.org.
• Tags: #Labor, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

The New York Conspiracy Panic (1741)

Tue May 30, 1741

Image: An illustration of a New York City execution following the hysteria around an alleged slave uprising. [blackpast.org]

On this day in 1741, the first two victims of the New York Conspiracy Panic, a wave of hysteria about the possibility of slaves and poor whites collaborating to burn the city to the ground, were executed after a series of farcical trials.

The Conspiracy of 1741, also known as the Negro Plot of 1741 or the Slave Insurrection of 1741, was a purported plot by enslaved blacks and poor whites in the British colony of New York to revolt and level New York City with a series of fires. Historians disagree as to whether such a plot existed and, if there was one, its scale.

Despite the lack of hard evidence for such a conspiracy, affluent whites in New York City were hysterical with paranoia over poor whites and the enslaved collaborating to burn the city down. During a series of court cases brought against alleged members of this conspiracy, the prosecution repeatedly changed the grounds of accusation and ignored the alibis proffered by slaveowners for their slaves' non-involvement.

At its height, over half of the city's enslaved males over the age of 16 were implicated in the plot and jailed. On this day in 1741, the first two victims, two men named Kofi and Quaco, were hanged.

After the hysteria ended, eighteen enslaved people were hanged, thirteen burned alive, four whites were executed, and dozens of people had been deported out of the city.

• Date: 1741-05-30
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.britannica.com.
• Tags: #Labor.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Robert L. Allen (1942 - )

Fri May 29, 1942

Image: **

Robert Allen, born on this day in 1942, is an American professor, activist, and author who composed "Black Awakening in Capitalist America" (1969), a seminal text in the field of Internal Colonialism Theory.

Allen is Professor of African-American Studies and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and was Senior Editor of "The Black Scholar: Journal of Black Studies and Research", published quarterly in Oakland, California since 1969 by the Black World Foundation.

In the "Black Awakening in Capitalist America", Allen details how corporate interests and white-led power structures co-opted and de-radicalized black power and black nationalism, also criticizing the concept of "black capitalism" as a means of achieving social change.

"This reformist or bourgeois nationalism - through its chosen vehicle of black capitalism - may line the pockets and boost the social status of the black middle class and black intelligentsia, but it will not ease the oppression of the ordinary ghetto dweller."

- Robert L. Allen

• Date: 1942-05-29
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, items.ssrc.org, archive.org.
• Tags: #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Indian Removal Act (1830)

Fri May 28, 1830

The Indian Removal Act, signed into law on this day in 1830, provided the legal authority for the president to force indigenous peoples west of the Mississippi River, leading to the "Trail of Tears", which killed more than 10,000.

The law is an example of the systematic genocide brought against indigenous peoples by the U.S. government because it discriminated against them in such a way as to effectively guarantee the death of vast numbers of their population. The Act was signed into law by Andrew Jackson and was strongly enforced by his and his successors' administrations.

The enforcement of the Indian Removal Act directly led to the "Trail of Tears", which killed over 10,000 indigenous peoples. Although some tribes left peacefully, others fought back, leading to the Second Seminole War of 1835.

• Date: 1830-05-28
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.britannica.com.
• Tags: #Indigenous.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Mariola Sirakova Assassinated (1925)

Thu May 28, 1925

Mariola Sirakova, assassinated by state police at age 20 on this day in 1925, was a Bulgarian actress who organized with anarchists and hid wanted revolutionaries such as Vassil Popov and Valko Shankov from the authorities. Sirakova came from a wealthy family, but broke from this upbringing after attending a girl's high school in 1919.

In 1923, a military coup led to the killing of 35,000 workers and peasants, leading to a campaign of armed resistance against the state known as the "September Uprising". A massive wave of repression was undertaken by the fascists and military against the revolutionary movement. Mariola was arrested by the police, raped, and brutally beaten.

After Sirakova's release, she gave support to the Kilifarevo cheta (an armed guerilla unit), bringing them food, medicine, and clothes, and caring for the wounded. Mariola Sirakova and fellow anarchist Gueorgui Cheitanov were caught in an ambush and arrested.

On this day in 1925, they were taken to Belovo railway station and summarily executed with 12 other prisoners. Mariola was twenty years old.

• Date: 1925-05-28
• Learn More: libcom.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Assassinations, #Anarchism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Cordobazo Uprising (1969)

Thu May 29, 1969

Image: A march of working class insurgents during the Cordobazo Uprising [libcom.org]

On this day in 1969, the Cordobazo Uprising began in the city of Córdoba, Argentina as a general strike, with workers seizing the city, burning the corporate headquarters of Citroën and Xerox, and clashing with the army.

The rebellion took place under the military dictatorship of General Juan Carlos Onganía, who had seized power in a coup in 1966. Onganía's government had suspended the right to strike, froze workers' wages, suppressed communist movements, and extended the age of retirement.

In the wake of widespread violent state repression against protesters, the labor union "CGT de los Argentinos", led by Agustín Tosco, called for national strike on May 30th, 1969. In Cordoba, the general strike and protests began one day earlier.

On the first day of the protests, police opened fire on thousands of protesters, killing a worker named Maximo Mena, causing the strike to escalate into a citywide revolt, leading to widespread destruction of property and seizing of city spaces. Onganía crushed the rebellion with the military, and Agustín Tosco was arrested for his role in the rebellion.

• Date: 1969-05-29
• Learn More: libcom.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Labor, #General Strikes, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Gezi Park Occupation (2013)

Mon May 27, 2013

Image: A still from the Turkish short film "Başlangıç" (English: The Beginning), produced by Dominic Brown and Dancing Turtle Films [youtube.com]

On this day in 2013, Turkish protesters began occupying Gezi Park to oppose its demolition, an act with led to widespread protests and strikes with approximately 3,500,000 participants, 22 deaths, and more than 8,000 injuries.

The wave of civil unrest across Turkey began after the park occupation was violently evicted by police, who used to tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons to try and break up the protests, injuring more than one hundred people and hospitalizing a journalist.

The protest quickly grew in size - by May 31st, 10,000 gathered in Istiklal Avenue. In June, the protests became national in scope and transcended any particular demographic or political ideology. Among the wide range of concerns brought by protesters were issues of freedom of the press, expression, and assembly, as well as the alleged political Islamist government's erosion of Turkey's secularism.

Millions of Turkish football fans, normally divided by intense sports rivalry, marched in unity against the government. Protesters displayed symbols the environmentalist movement, rainbow banners, depictions of Che Guevara, different trade unions, and the PKK and its leader Abdullah Öcalan.

On June 4th, Taksim Dayanışması (Taksim Solidarity) issued a set of demands that included the preservation of Gezi Park, an end to police violence, the right to freedom of assembly, and an end to the privatization of public spaces. Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç met the group on June 5th and rejected these demands.

Erdoğan blamed the protests on "internal traitors and external collaborators", demonizing his political opposition as the former. Despite the popular mobilization, Erdoğan remained in power and no major concessions were won from the government.

• Date: 2013-05-27
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, libcom.org.
• Tags: #Labor, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

House Committee on Un-American Activities Founded (1938)

Thu May 26, 1938

Image: Actor Gary Cooper testifying before HUAC [thoughtco.com]

On this day in 1938, the House Committee on Un-American Activities was established to investigate suspected communist sympathies among private citizens and organizations, leading to the blacklisting of hundreds of artists and academics. The committee became permanent in 1948 and was terminated in 1975.

The HUAC is notable for causing de facto media censorship among artists suspected of having communist sympathies. Their investigations resulted in a Hollywood blacklist of over 300 actors, directors, and others.

Arists whose careers were damaged by the committee included Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles, Alan Lomax, Paul Robeson, Aaron Copland, and Yip Harburg. When one Senator asked Robeson why he didn't remain in the Soviet Union, he replied "Because my father was a slave and my people died to build this country, and I am going to stay here and have a part of it just like you. And no Fascist-minded people will drive me from it. Is that clear?"

In 1960, William Mandel, an expert on Soviet affairs who had lost his position as a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution due to anti-communist repression, was called to testify in front of the HUAC. When asked "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?", Mandel responded:

"Honorable beaters of children, sadists, uniformed and in plain clothes, distinguished Dixiecrat wearing the clothing of a gentleman, eminent Republican who opposes an accommodation with the one country with which we must live at peace in order for us and all our children to survive...

If you think that I am going to cooperate with this collection of Judases, of men who sit there in violation of the United States Constitution, if you think I will cooperate with you in any way, you are insane!"

• Date: 1938-05-26
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.mtsu.edu.
• Tags: #Communism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Amelia Bloomer (1818 - 1894)

Wed May 27, 1818

Image: **

Amelia Bloomer, born on this day in 1818, was an early American feminist associated with the "bloomers" clothing style. She was also the first American woman to own, edit, and operate a newspaper for women.

Even though Amelia did not create the "bloomers" clothing style, a comfortable alternative to the heavy, constricting dresses women were expected to wear, her name became associated with the style because of her early and strong advocacy for them.

By publishing the magazine the "Lily", Bloomer became the first woman to own, operate and edit a newspaper for women. The scholarly journal American Journalism described the magazine like this: "The issues addressed in the Lily—marital relations, political representation, property ownership, education and work opportunities, fair wages, fashion customs, women’s health, religion, and gendered social norms—reflected a broad-based agenda for feminism that is familiar today. At the same time, the journal’s privileging of middle-class white womanhood exposed fissures and blind spots related to race and class that would reverberate for generations."

As an early advocate of women's rights, Bloomer was also responsible for introducing Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to each other.

"It will not do to say that it is out of woman's sphere to assist in making laws, for if that were so, then it should be also out of her sphere to submit to them."

- Amelia Bloomer

• Date: 1818-05-27
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.womenshistory.org, www.american-journalism.org.
• Tags: #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Lyuh Woon-hyung (1886 - 1947)

Wed May 26, 1886

Image: **

Lyuh Woon-hyung, born on this day in 1886, was a socialist politician who argued that Korean independence was essential to world peace. Lyun was assassinated in 1947 by a right-wing nationalist refugee from the north. He is also known by the name Yo Un-hyung or the pen-name "Mongyang".

Lyuh was born in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, the son of a local yangban magnate. In 1910, Lyuh parted from Korean tradition by freeing his household's slaves, giving them enough land and money to become self-sufficient.

Like many in the Korean independence movement, Lyuh sought aid from both right and left. In 1920, he joined the Koryǒ Communist Party, later meeting Leon Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin. In 1924, he also joined Sun Yat-sen's Chinese Nationalist Party to facilitate Sino-Korean cooperation.

In September 1945, Lyuh proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of Korea and became its vice-premier. When the United States occupied the Korean Peninsula, it did not recognize the People's Republic of Korea, and in October he was forced to step down under pressure from the U.S. military government.

In 1946, Lyuh represented the center-left politically as part of an effort to unify right and left-wing independence struggles, however this strategy earned ire from both sides. On July 19th, 1947, Lyuh was assassinated in Seoul by a 19-year-old North Korean refugee who was an active member of a nationalist right-wing organization.

His pen-name was Mongyang, the Hanja for "dream" and "the sun". Lyuh Woon-hyung is one of the few politicians celebrated in both North and South Korea.

• Date: 1886-05-26
• Learn More: web.archive.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Birthdays, #Independence.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

George Floyd Murdered (2020)

Mon May 25, 2020

Image: George Floyd with his six-year old, Gianna [blackpast.org]

On this day in 2020, a Minneapolis cop murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes. Floyd's death became the catalyst for protests around the world; by July, more than 14,000 were arrested in the U.S. alone.

Floyd, a 46-year old black man, had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. The cop, 44-year old white man Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd's neck for nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds while he was handcuffed and lying face-down in a street. Floyd was dead before Chauvin's knee left his neck.

The following day, after videos made by witnesses and security cameras became public, all four officers involed were fired. Floyd's state murder became the catalyst for worldwide Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality, which took place on every continent except Antartica.

The scope of civil unrest within the U.S. was nearly unprecedented. Author Malik Simba writes: "the protests have involved more than 26 million Americans in 2,000 cities and towns in every state in the U.S., making [them] the most widespread protests around one issue in the history of the nation. By the end of June alone, one month into the protests, 14,000 people had been arrested."

Initially, the local District Attorney's Office only harged Chauvin with third-degree manslaughter, but this charge was later increased to second degree murder, following mass protests. On April 20th, 2021, Chauvin was convicted and sentenced to 22.5 years in prison. The other three officers were also later convicted of violating Floyd's civil rights.

Floyd's murder was witnessed by several people, including children. On the incident, seventeen year old Danella Frazier stated "When I look at George Floyd, I look at my dad, I look at my brother, I look at my cousin and my uncle." Her nine year old cousin, also an eyewitness, testified in court: "I was sad and kind of mad and it felt like [Chauvin's knee] was stopping him from breathing and it was hurting him."

• Date: 2020-05-25
• Learn More: www.blackpast.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Symon Petliura Assassinated for Pogroms (1926)

Tue May 25, 1926

On this day in 1926, Jewish anarchist Sholem Schwarzbard assassinated Symon Petliura, President of the Ukrainian People's Republic and leader of its army, for his role in Jewish pogroms, stating "I have killed a great assassin".

According to Jewish historian Peter Kenez, "before the advent of Hitler, the greatest mass murder of Jews occurs in the Ukraine in the course of the Civil War. All participants in the conflict were guilty of murdering Jews, even the Bolsheviks; however the Volunteer Army had the largest number of victims."

The number of Jews killed during the period is estimated to be between 35,000 and 50,000. A total of 1,236 violent attacks on Jews had been recorded between 1918 and 1921 in Ukraine.

The role of Petliura in those pogroms is controversial. While Petliura actively sought to halt anti-Jewish violence on numerous occasions, including the punishment capital punishment for the crime of pogroming, it is also documented that he was afraid to punish officers and soldiers engaged in crimes against Jews for fear of losing their support.

Schwarzbard was a Jewish anarchist living in Paris, becoming acquainted with other anarchist activists who had emigrated from Russia and Ukraine, including figures such as Volin, Alexander Berkman, Emma Goldman, and Nestor Makhno.

At the same time, Petliura was living in Paris in exile. On May 25th, 1926, Schwarzbard approached Petliura and asked him in Ukrainian, "Are you Mr. Petliura?" Petliura did not answer but raised his cane in response.

Schwartzbard pulled out a gun, shooting him seven times. At the trial, survivors of the pogroms testified that they were brutalized by soldiers who claimed to be acting on orders from Petliura. After eight days, Schwarzbard was acquitted.

• Date: 1926-05-25
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, dash.harvard.edu.
• Tags: #Assassinations, #Anarchism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Earth First Car Bombing (1990)

Thu May 24, 1990

Image: Police photo of Judi Bari's bombed Subaru station wagon. Judi Bari's website alleges that this photo proves the bomb was hidden under her driver's seat, not in plain view on the back seat floor as FBI claimed. [judibari.org]

On this day in 1990, in Oakland, California, an assassination attempt was made against environmental activists and political radicals Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney when a car bomb beneath Judi's seat exploded; both survived.

Bari was severely injured by the blast, while Cherney suffered minor injuries. The bombing took place in the context of the Redwood Summer protests organized by Earth First!, the culmination of years of labor organizing and environmental activism in California by Bari.

FBI bomb investigators were present on the scene of the bombing almost immediately, leading some to speculate that the FBI either knew of the bombing or was directly involved in it. Bari was arrested for transporting explosives while she was still in critical condition with a fractured pelvis and other major injuries. In 2002, a federal jury found the FBI had violated Bari and Cherney's civil rights in the case, and the pair was later awarded a $4.4 million payout, although Bari had died five years earlier.

FBI analysis of the explosion dismissed the idea that the bomb was designed by Bari or Cherney. The identity of the bomber is still unknown. As for the protests, subsequent attendance was lower than organizers had hoped, and in November the pro-environment ballot initiative Proposition 130 was defeated by California voters.

• Date: 1990-05-24
• Learn More: www.judibari.org, www.northcoastjournal.com.
• Tags: #Assassinations, #Terrorism, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Drumheller Coal Strike (1919)

Sat May 24, 1919

Image: Drumheller strikers, 1919 [libcom.org]

On this day in 1919, under the banner of the One Big Union (OBU), approximately 6,500 miners in Alberta, Canada walked off the job during a dispute over wages, the cost of living allowance, and working conditions. The strike took place in the context of federal repression of labor movements; a few years earlier, Canada had banned the similar Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

Accordingly, the striking workers faced violent repression from both the government and the coal operators. After the walk-out continued more than a month, coal operators received permission from the Northwest Mounted Police to hire "special constables" - in practice unemployed World War I veterans who were paid $10 a day, plied with free liquor, and armed with brass knuckles and crowbars - to break up the strike.

Striking workers were attacked in their homes, and workers who refused to act as scabs were driven 65-km out of town, beaten, and left there. Strikers responded by forming self-defense militias that deterred constables form attacking them. The labor action was finally broken after the federal government declared the OBU illegal and two strike leaders were beaten, tied to telephone poles, and tarred and feathered in August of that year.

Despite the immediate defeat, the mere threat of militant industrial action allowed coal miners in Alberta to achieve massive gains: the miners' day rate rose from $5.70 to $7.50 between 1919 and 1920 and, even after the strike had collapsed, and the rate remained well above inflation for a few years. These gains were eroded by 1924-25, when salaries were reduced back to the pre-strike levels.

• Date: 1919-05-24
• Learn More: libcom.org, briarpatchmagazine.com.
• Tags: #Labor, #IWW.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Joe Slovo (1926 - 1995)

Sun May 23, 1926

Image: Joe Slovo speaking with Pallo Jordan, another SACP and ANC leader, in the background. [africasacountry.com]

Joe Slovo, born on this day in 1926, was a South African communist politician and miliant opponent of the apartheid system whose wife, Ruth First, was assassinated by the South African police.

A Marxist-Leninist, Slovo was a long-time leader and theorist in the South African Communist Party (SACP), a leading member of the African National Congress (ANC), and a commander of the ANC's military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK).

Slovo was married to Ruth First, another prominent South African anti-apartheid activist who was assassinated by state police via bomb. He, along with First, was arrested and detained for two months during the Treason Trial of 1956, and lived in exile from 1963 to 1990, conducting operations against the apartheid regime from the United Kingdom, Angola, Mozambique, and Zambia.

"No matter what vision one has of South Africa, the first thing that must be done is to destroy racism."

• Joe Slovo

• Date: 1926-05-23
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.sahistory.org.za, www.sahistory.org.za.
• Tags: #Communism, #Marxism, #Civil Rights, #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Margaret Fuller (1810 - 1850)

Wed May 23, 1810

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Margaret Fuller, born on this day in 1810, was an American feminist journalist associated with the American transcendentalism movement. Her work "Woman in the Nineteenth Century" was one of the first major feminist works in the U.S.

Fuller also worked as an editor, translator, critic, and journalist. She became the first American female war correspondent, writing for Horace Greeley's New-York Tribune.

Fuller's book "Woman in the Nineteenth Century" is considered the first major feminist work in the United States, and later feminists like Susan B. Anthony cited her as an inspiration. Fuller was also an advocate of abolishing slavery and prison reform.

"Male and female represent the two sides of the great radical dualism. But in fact they are perpetually passing into one another. Fluid hardens to solid, solid rushes to fluid. There is no wholly masculine man, no purely feminine woman."

- Margaret Fuller

• Date: 1810-05-23
• Learn More: www.biography.com, plato.stanford.edu, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Birthdays, #Journalism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Dawoud al-Marhoon Arrested (2012)

Tue May 22, 2012

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On this day in 2012, Dawoud Al Marhoon (1995 - ), was arrested and indefinitely detained by the Saudi Arabian government after refusing to spy on anti-state protesters during the Arab Spring. After 10 years in prison, he was released in 2022.

After being arrested for participating in the Arab Spring protests, the Saudi authorities tortured him for weeks and refused to allow him to communicate with anyone on the outside world. For two weeks, Dawoud's family had no idea where Saudi authorities were holding him, and he was prevented from speaking to a lawyer.

In September of 2015, al-Marhoon was sentenced to death, to be carried out by beheading and crucifixion. Secrecy surrounding Saudi's execution practices prevented the family or the prisoner from receiving prior notification on when the execution would have been carried out.

According to the Middle East Monitor, al-Marhoon was released on February 2nd, 2022, having served nearly ten years in prison.

• Date: 2012-05-22
• Learn More: reprieve.org, en.wikipedia.org, www.middleeastmonitor.com.
• Tags: #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Richard Oakes (1942 - 1972)

Fri May 22, 1942

Image: Richard Oakes reading the "Indians of All Tribes" proclamation on Alcatraz Island, November 25th, 1969. Photographer Paul Glines [indiancountrytoday.com]

Richard Oakes, born on this day in 1942, was a Mohawk indigenous activist and leader within the Red Power movement, playing a prominent role in the 19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island from 1969 - 1971.

Oakes promoted Native American studies in university curricula and is credited for helping to change U.S. federal government "Termination" policies (policies regarding assimilation of indigenous people into the culture of the colonizer) of Native American peoples and culture.

In 1969, Oakes led a 19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island with LaNada Means, approximately 50 California State University students, and 37 others. On January 5th, 1970, Oakes' 12-year-old daughter, Yvonne, fell to her death from concrete steps. After her funeral, Oakes left the island.

In 1972, Oakes was shot and killed in Sonoma, California, by Michael Morgan, a YMCA camp manager. Allegedly, Oakes violently confronted Morgan, and Morgan responded by drawing a handgun and fatally shooting Oakes.

Oakes was unarmed when he was shot. Morgan claimed he acted in self-defense, and was acquitted on charges of voluntary manslaughter.

"We do not fear your threat to charge us with crimes on our land. We and all other oppressed peoples would welcome spectacle of proof before the world of your title by genocide. Nevertheless, we seek peace."

- Richard Oakes

• Date: 1942-05-22
• Learn More: indiancountrytoday.com, en.wikipedia.org, sites.middlebury.edu.
• Tags: #Birthdays, #Indigenous.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Paris Commune Dissolves (1871)

Sun May 21, 1871

Image: A barricade in the Paris Commune, March 18th, 1871. [Wikipedia]

On this day in 1871, the Paris Commune, a hotbed of radical working class politics and watershed moment in revolutionary anti-capitalist history, was crushed by the French National Army. 20,000 people were killed and 44,000 arrested.

The Paris Commune was a radical socialist government that had formed in Paris a few months earlier, on March 18th, 1871. The Commune developed a set of progressive, secular, and social democratic policies, although its existence was too brief to implement all of them.

Among these policies were the separation of church and state, abolition of child labor, abolishment of interest on some forms of debt, as well as the right of employees to take over and run an enterprise if it was deserted by its original owner.

The Commune was attacked by the French National Army on May 21st, 1871, beginning the so-called "Bloody Week" which defeated the revolutionary movement. After crushing the rebellion, the French government imprisoned approximately 44,000 people for their role in the uprising. Estimated deaths from the fighting are around 20,000.

The Paris Commune was analyzed by many communist thinkers, including Karl Marx, who identified it as a dictatorship of the proletariat. Vladimir Lenin danced in the snow when the newly formed Bolshevik government lasted longer than the Paris Commune.

The episode inspired similar revolutionary attempts around the world, including in Moscow (1905), Petrograd (1917), and Shanghai (1927 and 1967).

• Date: 1871-05-21
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.jacobinmag.com.
• Tags: #Marxism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

White Night Riots (1979)

Mon May 21, 1979

Image: Rioters on the San Francisco Civic Center plaza causing property damage during the White Night riots. Burning police cruisers are in the background. Photo credit to Daniel Nicoletta [Wikipedia]

On this day in 1979, the "White Night Riots" began in San Francisco after Harvey Milk's assassin was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, the most lenient sentence possible. More than 160 people were hospitalized, including 60 cops.

Harvey Milk was one of the first openly gay politicians in the U.S., and had been elected to serve as a city supervisor in San Francisco in 1977. On November 28th, 1978, Milk, along with Mayor George Moscone, were assassinated by former police officer and disgruntled ex-supervisor Dan White.

On May 21st, 1979, Dan White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, widely perceived to be the lightest possible sentence for his actions. His lawyers successfully argued that White was depressed, citing how much junk food he consumed. This was pejoratively dubbed the "Twinkie Defense".

Following the announcement of White's conviction, members of San Francisco's gay community began marching in protest, starting at Castro Street and ending with more than 5,000 arriving at City Hall. Protesters shouted "Kill Dan White!" and "Dump Dianne!", a reference to then Mayor Dianne Feinstein.

Some protesters began breaking City Hall windows, and the crowd was attacked by officers with night sticks. Protesters began setting police cruisers on fire. As one man ignited a cop car, he shouted to a reporter "Make sure you put in the paper that I ate too many Twinkies!" Sixty officers were injured and about two dozen arrests were made.

Later that evening, the police raided the predominantly gay Castro neighborhood, invading the Elephant Walk bar and brutalizing its occupants. Police entered the bar yelling slurs, shattering bar windows, and attacking patrons. Other officers outside indiscriminately attacked gays on the street.

The following day, Supervisor Harry Britt, who had replaced Milk, refused to apologize for the riot: "Harvey Milk's people do not have anything to apologize for. Now the society is going to have to deal with us not as nice little fairies who have hairdressing salons, but as people capable of violence. We're not going to put up with Dan Whites anymore."

Just a few months after the White Night Riots, Dianne Feinstein was elected to a full term as San Francisco Mayor with some support from the gay community. One of her first actions in office was to appoint a new Chief of Police who oversaw the hiring of a more diverse police force. By 1980, one in seven new police recruits was queer.

"If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door."

- Harvey Milk

• Date: 1979-05-21
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.foundsf.org.
• Tags: #Assassinations, #Riots, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Toussaint Louverture (1743 - 1803)

Mon May 20, 1743

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François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture, born on this day in 1743, was a Haitian general and leader of the Haitian Revolution, the first successful slave revolution in the Americas. Haiti was the first country in the region to outlaw slavery.

Louverture's participation in the war was complex, first fighting for the Spanish against the French; then for France against Spain and Great Britain; and finally, he fought on behalf of independence for Saint-Domingue against the French.

Initially, Louverture was only supportive of fighting for better living conditions for the enslaved, but, after committing to the full abolition of slavery in 1791, he issued a proclamation at Camp Turel of St. Domingue: "Brothers and friends, I am Toussaint Louverture; perhaps my name has made itself known to you. I have undertaken vengeance. I want Liberty and Equality to reign in St Domingue. I am working to make that happen. Unite yourselves to us, brothers and fight with us for the same cause."

As a revolutionary leader, Louverture's military and political acumen helped transform the fledgling slave rebellion into a revolutionary movement. He governed Saint-Domingue with varying degrees of power for several years, proclaiming an autonomous constitution for the colony in 1801 that declared himself its governor for life.

Louverture was eventually tricked into being arrested by Brunet, a French General, and deported to France, where he died of unknown causes while imprisoned. Shortly thereafter, the colony finally achieved independence under the leadership of Jean-Jacques Dessalines.

"This gun is liberty; hold for certain that the day when you no more have it, you will be returned to slavery."

- Toussaint Louverture

• Date: 1743-05-20
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.britannica.com, politicaleducation.org.
• Tags: #Birthdays, #Independence.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org