The May Day Riots of 1919 were a series of violent demonstrations that occurred throughout Cleveland, Ohio on May 1 (May Day), 1919. The riots began when Socialist leader, Charles Ruthenberg organized a May Day parade of local unionists, socialists, communists, and anarchists to protest the jailing of Eugene V. Debs. The previous year, Debs's Federal Court trial was held in Cleveland. The event was also aimed at helping promote Ruthenberg's own candidacy for mayor of Cleveland. The 32 groups were divided into four units, each holding a Socialist flag and an American flag at its head. Nickname: The Forest City Motto: Progress and Prosperity Official website: www. ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... May Day is a name for various holidays celebrated on May 1 (or in the beginning of May), ranging from pagan festivals to International Workers Day, its most famous action. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Charles Ruthenberg (July 14, 1884 – 1927) became famous for founding the Communist Party in the USA. Ruthenberg was born in New York City, New York, the son of an immigrant from Russia who was a prosperous garment merchant. ... The word Unionist, simply meaning one espousing a union, has a number of connotations, depending on context: Unionists are people in Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales who were historically in favour of uniting their nations into a United Kingdom, or who in modern times wish their nations to remain part... Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... Eugene Victor Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American labor and political leader, one of the founders of the international labor union the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and five-time Socialist Party of America candidate for President of the United States. ... Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ...

As they marched to Cleveland's Public Square, one of the units was stopped on Superior Avenue by a group of Victory Loan Workers, who demanded that they lower their flags. The marchers refused to do so and immediately mass fighting broke out. Chaos quickly spread throughout the downtown area. Ruthenberg's party headquarters on Prospect Avenue were ransacked by a mob. In the United States, a town square is an area in the middle of a traditional town consisting of a park or plaza and surrounded by small shops. ...

Law was finally restored by mounted police, army trucks, and tanks. Casualties amounted to two people killed, forty injured, and 116 arrested (one of them Ruthenberg himself on a charge of "assault with intent to kill"). Local newspapers quickly pointed out that only eight of those arrested were born in the United States. In response to the riots, the city government immediately passed laws to restrict parades and the display of red flags. Overall, the occurrence is seen as the most violent of a series of similar disorders that took place throughout the U.S. as a result of the first Red Scare. Historically, and most generally, the red flag is an international symbol for the blood of angry workers. ... Political cartoon of the era depicting an anarchist attempting to destroy the Statue of Liberty. ...

See also

• May Day Riots of 1894
• 1886's Haymarket Riot, at the origin of May Day.

The May Day Riots of 1894 were a series of violent demonstrations that occurred throughout Cleveland, Ohio on May 1 (May Day), 1894. ... The Haymarket Riot on 4 May 1886 in Chicago, Illinois is the origin of international May Day observances and in popular literature inspired the caricature of a bomb-throwing anarchist. ...

References

• The Encyclopedia Of Cleveland History by Cleveland Bicentennial Commission (Cleveland, Ohio), David D. Van Tassel (Editor), and John J. Grabowski (Editor) ISBN 0253330564