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Working Class History

@workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

mastodon 4.8.0-nightly.2026-10-06

#OtD toots & podcast. History isn't made by kings or politicians, it's made by billions of ordinary people. Supported and made possible by you: https://liberapay.com/workingclasshistory/

95492 Followers

70 Following

50 Posts

Joined January 20, 2021

Website:

https://workingclasshistory.com

Podcasts:

https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast

Patreon:

https://patreon.com/workingclasshistory

Support us:

https://liberapay.com/workingclasshistory/

Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1w ago

Boosted by @trending@homestead.social

#OtD 27 Sep 1936 1000 uniformed fascist Blackshirts led by Oswald Mosley in Leeds, UK, were confronted by 30,000 anti-fascist locals who attacked them, pelted them with stones, hitting Mosley, and drowned out speeches by singing The Red Flag https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9965/battle-of-holbeck-moor

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1w ago

#OtD 24 Sep 2003 27 pilots in the Israeli air force wrote to their commander refusing to participate in assassination missions in the West Bank and Gaza. They stated the attacks were "illegal and immoral" and harmed "innocent civilians" https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9703/israeli-air-force-pilots-refusal-to-partake-in-assassination-missions

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1w ago

#OtD 29 Sep 1944 communist nurse and partisan Virginia Tonelli was burned alive in the San Sabba concentration camp in Italy. The fascists had tortured her for days, but were unable to get her to speak. Exasperated, her torturers then burned her alive https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e77-80-italian-resistance/

E77-80: Italian resistance

Working Class History

E77-80: Italian resistance

A four-part podcast series on the Italian resistance to fascism, both during World War Two and immediately after, in conversation with anti-fascist partisans themselves.

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1w ago

#OtD 28 Sep 1997 dockworkers in Oakland, CA, picketed the Neptune Jade ship in solidarity with Liverpool dockers in the UK. The ship had been loaded by scab labour, attempting to run a global blockade. Despite court action, the ship didn't unload https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/12602/neptune-jade-picket

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1w ago

#OtD 29 Sep 2007 tens of thousands of textile workers in Ghazl el-Mahalla, Egypt, went on illegal wildcat strike, eventually winning all their demands https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10146/wildcat-strike-in-ghazl-el-mahalla

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1w ago

Boosted by @gvenema@fairmove.net

#OtD 28 Sep 1846 British troops opened fire on starving food rioters in Dungarvan, Ireland, killing one. The Great Famine lasted until the 1850s, killing around a million people and forced even more to emigrate, while food was exported for profit https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10057/food-riots-in-dungarvan,-ireland

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 3w ago

#OtD 14 Sep 1940 protesters occupied the air raid shelter at the luxury Savoy Hotel in London to protest against the stark differences in bomb shelters for rich and poor. The action resulted in improvements to shelters for working-class Londoners https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8627/savoy-hotel-occupied-during-the-blitz

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 3w ago

#OtD 14 Sep 2011 Sue Richardson, Irish feminist, prison activist and anarchist died aged 70. She was jailed for refusing to snitch, organised for prisoner rights, and later against heroin dealers https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8632/sue-richardson-dies

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 4w ago

Boosted by @trending@homestead.social

#OtD 7 Sep 1934 anti-fascists hung a banner atop the BBC, advertising a counter-rally against Oswald Mosley and his British Union of Fascists. The BBC had Mosley on to promote his Nazi views and rally. Even so, over 100,000 locals drove out the fascist https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10756/bbc-anti-fascist-banner-drop

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1w ago

#OtD 25 Sep 1912 sheriff's deputies in Louisiana caught up with Charles "Leather Britches" Smith, a former logger who was wanted for firing at a sawmill during the Grabow timber strike. He died after refusing to surrender https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9786/charles-smith-killed-by-police

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2w ago

#OtD 19 Sep 1868 the Camilla massacre took place in Georgia, US. Several hundred Black Republicans had marched in protest at Black and mixed race elected representatives being expelled. White racists opened fire, killing around 12 and wounding more https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9147/camilla-massacre

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1w ago

#OtD 25 Sep 1952 influential Black author, activist, and feminist theorist, bell hooks was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. She wrote over 30 books during her life, often critiquing what she termed the imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/12599/bell-hooks-born

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 3w ago

#OtD 15 Sep 1983 Michael Stewart, a 25-year-old Black student, was beaten to death by 10 NYPD officers after being caught painting graffiti. The medical examiner then helped them cover up the murder. No officers were convicted https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8745/michael-stewart-killed-by-police

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2w ago

Boosted by @gvenema@fairmove.net

#OtD 19 Sep 1795 the Curaçao slave rebellion was crushed by Dutch forces, who executed two rebel leaders, in addition to the many killed in fighting. Despite this, the government was forced to grant limited rights to the enslaved https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9146/curaçao-slave-revolt-crushed

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

#OtD 29 Jul 1962 fascist Oswald Mosley tried to march with the Union Movement in Manchester, UK. However, he was attacked by anti-fascists and had to be rescued by police. A Mosley speech later was drowned out by a crowd of anti-fascists. More info: https://www.patreon.com/posts/e37b-62-group-in-34110286

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2w ago

#OtD 20 Sep 1978 Ford workers in the UK sparked the "winter of discontent" when 15,000 of them walked out against a Labour govt-union pay cap. They stayed out till Nov, winning a 17% increase, and 1m other workers followed them https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9527/ford-workers'-strike-in-the-uk

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1mo ago

#OtD 30 Aug 1979 screen icon and Black Panther supporter Jean Seberg killed herself following harassment by the FBI which resulted in the death of her premature baby exactly nine years prior. Learn more: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10268/jean-seberg-suicide

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2w ago

#OtD 18 Sep 1990 Canadian soldiers and police tried to invade the Kahnawake reservation. Kanyen'kehà:ka (Mohawk) First Nations people who were resisting construction of a golf course fought back, and forced them to retreat after seven hours of fighting https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/12595/invasion-of-kahnawake-reserve

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2w ago

Boosted by @gvenema@fairmove.net

#OtD 21 Sep 1976 Chilean socialist refugee Orlando Letelier and think tank worker Ronni Moffitt were murdered in Washington, DC by a car bomb planted by US and UK-backed dictator General Pinochet's secret police https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9441/orlando-letelier-and-ronni-moffitt-assassinated

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

Boosted by @trending@homestead.social

#OtD 2 Aug 1924 James Baldwin, gay African-American author and social critic was born. During the civil rights movement he played an active role in fighting racism, encouraging civil disobedience and taking part in demonstrations https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9166/james-baldwin-born

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 4w ago

#OtD 8 Sep 1944 Lela Carayannis, Greek grandmother and leader of the resistance/intelligence organisation known as 'Bouboulina' was shot along with 71 of her followers and co-workers by Nazi execution squad in the University of Athens https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10864/lela-carayannis-executed

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1mo ago

#OtD 5 Sep 2018 Dutch resistance fighter, Freddie Oversteegen, died aged 92. During WWII, she and her sister Truus joined the resistance, distributing anti-fascist papers, helping refugees, and later sabotaging and killing fascists https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/tag/9903/world-war-ii-resistance

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2w ago

#OtD 17 Sep 1963 Raghbir Singh, a Sikh man, became the first person of colour to work on a bus in Bristol, England after a mass campaign forced the dropping of the "colour bar" by bosses and the TGWU union the previous month https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8946/first-person-of-colour-begins-work-on-bristol-buses

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1mo ago

Boosted by @trending@homestead.social

#OtD 23 Aug 1851 a violent riot broke out in Sydney, Australia, when police arrested a sailor wearing women's clothing. Hundreds attacked police officers and police stations, freeing all prisoners along the way. We've produced this poster in celebration: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/agustin-huarte?sort_by=created-ascending

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1mo ago

#OtD 30 Aug 1961 a mass meeting of workers at the British Light Steel Pressings plant voted to go on strike against feared job cuts. The strike was undermined by the workers' Amalgamated Engineering Union and unfortunately defeated https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10266/blsp-strike

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1mo ago

#OtD 30 Aug 1958 Black people in Notting Hill, London, defended themselves after repeated attacks by racist teddy boys, in several days of fierce rioting https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10265/racist-attacks-in-notting-hill

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· 1mo ago

#OtD 31 Aug 1913 police attacked a crowd in O'Connell Street, in a drunken rampage that became known as 'Bloody Sunday'. During the Dublin lockout of tram workers, 300 officers attacked a crowd of mostly onlookers https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10353/dublin-bloody-sunday

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

#OtD 29 Jul 1996 four women anti-war activists were acquitted in Liverpool, UK of all charges related to extensively damaging a fighter jet. They were found not guilty on the basis of preventing a greater crime: the genocidal occupation of East Timor https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10105/anti-war-activists-acquitted

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1mo ago

#OtD 10 Aug 1889 Polish WWII resistance activist Zofia Kossak-Szczucka was born. During Nazi occupation she founded a group to help save Jewish people. She was sent to Auschwitz but got out, joined the Warsaw uprising and survived the war https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8173/zofia-kossak-szczucka-born

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

#OtD 31 Jul 1962 Oswald Mosley and his fascist Blackshirts attempted to hold a meeting in Dalston, London, but were once again forced to call it off after the meeting was attacked by angry locals. More about struggles against Mosley in our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/2020/02/17/e35-37-the-43-group/

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

#OtD 29 Jul 1900 King Umberto I of Italy was assassinated by anarchist Gaetano Bresci in revenge for the brutal suppression of a workers' demonstration in Milan which left hundreds dead. This is a history of the events: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10098/king-umberto-assassinated

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1mo ago

#OtD 20 Aug 1968 the Red Army entered Prague ending the ‘Prague Spring' which had seen the local Party leadership attempt to liberalise aspects of the system. Workers and civilians resisted the invasion but their nonviolence was easily overcome https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9249/red-army-invasion-of-prague

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

#OtD 5 Aug 1964 the US began bombing North Vietnam in Operation Pierce Arrow, after "intelligence" reported a North Vietnamese attack on US ships. These reports were false. In our podcast episode, Noam Chomsky explains the geopolitics of the Vietnam war: https://workingclasshistory.com/2018/10/31/e14-the-vietnam-war-with-noam-chomsky/

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· 1mo ago

#OtD 5 Sep 1900 Vietnamese revolutionary Nguyễn An Ninh was born in Cholon, Hoc Mon. He was jailed by the French colonial authorities five times for his activism. On the final occasion, tragically his health was broken and he died in 1943 https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10574/nguyễn-an-ninh-born

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

#OtD 30 Jul 1766 silver miners in Real Del Monte, Mexico, went on strike against a 25% pay cut in the first recorded strike against an employer in North American history. The employers finally caved in September https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10292/real-del-monte-miners-strike

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1mo ago

#OtD 9 Aug 1914 5000 people gathered on Glasgow Green, Scotland to denounce the declaration of WWI as "the outcome of capitalism." Unlike a similar rally in Edinburgh the day before, no jingoistic mob attacked. The war would claim over 16 million lives https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10878/red-clydeside-against-wwi

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· 2mo ago

#OtD 6 Aug 1945 the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, slaughtering tens of thousands of civilians, despite believing that Japan was about to surrender, which was noted by multiple US officials https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10593/u.s.-drops-atomic-bomb-on-hiroshima

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· 2mo ago

#OtD 4 Aug 1980 the US-backed military dictatorship in South Korea handed down jail sentences of between one and five years to 30 people who had been involved in an insurrection of coal miners and their families in Sabuk the previous April https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10406/sabuk-protesters-jailed

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· 2mo ago

#OtD 31 Jul 1887 Kiuchi Teiko (木内錠子), Japanese Taisho-era novelist and feminist, was born. She was one of the co-founders of the monthly feminist magazine Seitō (Bluestocking), which laid the groundwork for Japanese feminism.

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· 2mo ago

#OtD 31 Jul 2007 after nearly forty years of conflict, the British Armed Forces' Operation Banner – its military action in Northern Ireland – officially ended. More than 3,500 people were killed during this deployment, the majority of them civilians https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10378/british-military-campaign-in-northern-ireland-officially-ends

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· 2mo ago

#OtD 8 Aug 1942 Spanish Civil War veteran, Maria Perez Cruz, was executed by the Franco regime on trumped up charges. A former nurse in the anarchist Iron Column militia, she was arrested in 1939 and charged with various offences https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10774/france-closes-border-with-spain

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· 2mo ago

#OtD 3 Aug 1492 Columbus set sail from Spain for the "Indies", with disastrous consequences for the people who already lived there. He landed in the Bahamas, where he began enslaving and murdering the Arawak people. More in this book: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/books/products/500-years-of-indigenous-resistance-gord-hill

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

#OtD 30 Jul 1950 the Grâce-Berleur shooting took place in Belgium. During a 600-person march in Wallonia against the return of King Leopold III, police opened fire and ultimately killed four workers, including three anti-Nazi resistance veterans https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10297/grace-berleur-shooting

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· 2mo ago

#OtD 29 Jul 1921 Maria Occhipinti, Italian revolutionary, anarchist feminist, and textile worker, was born in Ragusa. In 1945 she sparked an anti-draft revolt in Ragusa, for which she was imprisoned https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10101/maria-occhipinti-born

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

#OtD 31 Jul 1922 workers in Italy declared a general strike against fascism, but the nationalist unions did not join, and the middle class supported fascists breaking the strike. After two days, the fascists broke the strike across most of Italy https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10373/general-strike-against-fascism

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

#OtD 29 Jul 1911 Bolivian anarchist union organiser Petronila Infantes, known as Doña Peta, was born in La Paz, Bolivia. Becoming a cook at a young age, at 24 she helped found the Culinary Union, which was part of the anarchist Women Workers’ Federation

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1w ago

Boosted by @gvenema@fairmove.net

#OtD 30 Sep 1973 Chilean army death squad the Caravan of Death flew by helicopter from the south to the north of Chile, and began brutally torturing and murdering around 100 people and dumping them in unmarked graves on the orders of Augusto Pinochet https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10350/caravan-of-death

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· 1w ago

Boosted by @gvenema@fairmove.net

#OtD 30 Sep 1919 the Elaine massacre began in Arkansas, US, when hundreds of African-Americans were murdered and tortured by white racists and security forces, after Black farm workers tried to organise for better pay https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10348/elaine-massacre

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory@mastodon.social

· 1mo ago

#OtD 5 Sep 1917 mass arrests of radical American workers took place as US marshals raided the national offices of the Socialist Party and of the @iww@mastodon.social union, as well as some 20 branch offices of the IWW in different states. Learn more: https://workingclasshistory.com/2018/05/23/wch-e6-the-industrial-workers-of-the-world-in-the-us-1905-1918/

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· 1mo ago

#OtD 10 Aug 2005 the Gate Gourmet dispute began at Heathrow airport in London, where hundreds of outsourced workers, mostly Asian women, tried to fight changes to working conditions. Eventually their union, the TGWU, accepted the inferior conditions https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8178/gate-gourmet-dispute

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