Historedia
EuropeEvent

Bloody Sunday: police clash with protesters in Trafalgar Square

When
1887–1888
Where
Trafalgar Square; London
Episodes
3

On 13 November 1887, a crowd of marchers protesting unemployment and Irish Coercion Acts clashed with the Metropolitan Police in Trafalgar Square, London. Led by figures including John Burns and William Morris, the demonstrators faced violent clashes, resulting in injuries and deaths, notably Alfred Linnell.

Episodes

  1. 13 November 1887 · Trafalgar SquareBloody Sunday

    Protesters marched into Trafalgar Square to protest unemployment and Irish Coercion Acts, clashing violently with the Metropolitan Police.

  2. 13 November 1887 to late November 1887 · LondonDeath of Alfred Linnell

    Alfred Linnell, a young clerk, was run down by a police horse during the clash and died in hospital a fortnight later.

  3. 20 February 1888 · LondonCelebration of Release

    The release of those imprisoned following Bloody Sunday was celebrated with a large public meeting on 20 February 1888.

Background and detail

Background. Unemployed workers' demonstrations from London's East End had been building for over two years by November 1887. Prior clashes occurred in Pall Mall, adjoining Trafalgar Square. The protest focused on unemployment, Irish Coercion Acts, and the release of MP William O'Brien, occurring during a period of Tory dominance.

The Clash. Approximately 10,000 protesters marched into Trafalgar Square, surrounded by 30,000 spectators. Demonstrators, some armed with iron bars and knives, clashed violently with the Metropolitan Police. The event was witnessed by William Morris, who later recounted it in his novel News from Nowhere.

Aftermath. Alfred Linnell, a young clerk, was run down by a police horse and died in hospital a fortnight later. The release of those imprisoned was celebrated on 20 February 1888 with a large public meeting, marking the end of the immediate legal consequences for the participants.

People involved

Sources

  1. Bloody Sunday (1887) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-05

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.