Eighteen people died and hundreds were injured in the attack on textile workers and their families when sabre-wielding troops attacked a peaceful crowd of workers calling for democracy on August 16 1819.
On Saturday, trade unionists and activists led by the Public and Commercial Service’s samba band marched through Manchester city centre to rally at the Peterloo Monument which was erected in 2019 to mark the 200th anniversary of the attack.
On the 16th of August 1819 the huge open area around what's now St Peter's Square, Manchester, played host to an outrage against over 60,000 peaceful pro-democracy and anti-poverty protesters; an event which became known as The Peterloo Massacre.
According to the Peterloo Memorial Campaign, an estimated 18 people, including four women and a child, died from sabre cuts and trampling. Nearly 700 men, women and children received extremely serious injuries. All in the name of liberty and freedom from poverty.
The Massacre occurred during a period of immense political tension and mass protests. Fewer than 2% of the population had the vote, and hunger was rife with the disastrous corn laws making bread unaffordable.
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