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Thursday, April 21, 2011

Today in Labor History: April 21


April 21, 1834 – 30,000 marched for the freedom of trade unionists transported to Australia from Tolpuddle, Britain. The Tolpuddle struggle, which began in 1832, for the repeal of the “Combination Laws,” marked the beginning of British trade unionism. (From the Daily Bleed)
Caricature of the Bonnot Gang
Victor Serge
April, 21, 1913Andre Soudy and Raymond Callemin, members of the anarchist Bonnot Gang, were executed. Callemin had started the individualist paper "L'anarchie" with Victor Serge. The Bonnot Gang was a band of French anarchists (plus Serge, who was Russian) who tried to fund their movement through robberies in 1911-1912. The Bonnot Gang was unique, not only for their politics, but for their innovative use of technology, too. They were among the first to use cars and automatic rifles to help them steal, technology that even the French police were not using. While many of the gang members were sentenced to death, Serge got five years and eventually  went on to participate in (and survive) the Barcelona and Soviet uprisings. Later, while living in exile, Serge wrote The Birth of Our Power. (From the Daily Bleed and Wikipedia)
Jules Bonnot, Dead




April 21, 1921 – Police fired on striking miners in Butte, Montana. (From the Daily Bleed)

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