Struggle or Starve: Working-Class Unity in Belfast's 1932 Outdoor Relief Riots

In October 1932, the streets of Belfast were gripped by vicious and widespread rioting that lasted the best part of a week. Thousands of unarmed demonstrators fought extended pitched battles against heavily-armed police. Unemployed workers and, indeed, whole working-class communities, dug trenches and built barricades to hold off the police assault. The event became known as the Outdoor Relief Riot—one of a very few instances in which class sympathy managed to trump sectarian loyalties in a city famous for its divisions.

Seán Mitchell: Seán Mitchell is a socialist activist based in Belfast. A founding member of the People Before Profit, he was the first person to stand for election under the party’s banner. He currently lives in Andersonstown in West Belfast, and works in Coláiste Feirste. He writes for the Irish Marxist Review.