175th Anniversary of Grand Demonstration supporting Tolpuddle Martyrs. Frances O'Grady, TUC Deputy General Secretary
The TUC march and rally to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the Grand Demonstration in support of the Tolpuddle Martyrs in 1834 made its way from the clock tower of the former Caledonian Market to the small park that remains of Copenhagen Fields led by the brilliant brassy sounds of the Cuba Solidarity Salsa Band. Before the march Frances O'Grady, TUC Deputy General Secretary, unveiled a plaque where around 100,000 met in the fields around Copenhagen House at the start of the 'Grand Demonstration' organised by the Metropolitan trade unions, carrying a petition with over 200,000 signatures to Parliament demanding the release of the six Dorset farm labourers, led by a Methodist lay preacher, who had formed the 'Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers' in 1832. Forming such a trade union (it became a part of the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union (GNCTU)) had become legal when the Combination Acts were repealed in 1824. The six men were convicted not for trade union membership as such, but for having sworn an oath to each other, which they had done in forming their friendly society, and were and sentenced to transportation to Australia. The 'Grand Demonstration' was the first mass demonstration by trade unions and the start of a successful popular campaign that led eventually to the mens' release - a pardon was granted in 1835 (but it was 1837 before they arrived back in the UK.) The march was an important event in the early history of trade unions and the campaign was successful.
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Location: London, England, UK
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Keywords: caledonian, camden, commemoration, congress, copenhagen, demonstration, deputy, fields, frances, general, grady, grand, london, march, market, martyrs, rally, secretary, tolpuddle, trade, tuc, union, unions
