1919 Anniversary – Bloody Saturday Public Art Reveal
June 20, 2019
Date: Friday, June 21st, 2019
Time: 9pm – Reception, Official Lighting
Location: Pantages Plaza – Main Street at Market Ave.
The public is invited to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike.
A new artwork by Bernie Miller and Noam Gonick – “Bloody Saturday” will be revealed for the first time.
History:
On June 21, 1919, steps from where the sculpture now stands, a violent and climactic event in the general strike erupted. Strikers and supporters gathered in front of city hall to protest the arrests of several strike leaders when a streetcar approached. The car was being run by replacement workers, which the crowd took as an inflammatory attempt to break the strike.
They surrounded it, rocked it from side to side, and pushed it off the tracks but were unable to tip it over entirely. They then smashed the windows, climbed inside, slashed the seats and set it on fire.
As smoke billowed from it, the North West Mounted Police, along with special constables hired by the city, moved in on foot and horseback. A violent clash ensued with two people killed by police bullets and many others beaten.
The day became known as Bloody Saturday, which is the title Gonick gave to the sculpture.