Trafalgar Square

In late February 1934, a group of hunger marchers arrived in London, planning to protest against unemployment. To keep things orderly, London’s police commissioner called up 20,000 reserves, precautions that The Times reported were “unparalleled since the general strike of 1926.” But his measures were unnecessary. The marchers behaved well during their visit, including during demonstrations in Trafalgar Square.

The marchers carried scarlet banners, sang the Socialist song the “Internationale” and listened to speakers. The same could not be said of the noisy crowd that assembled to watch. Several spectators tried their best to get a good view of the demonstrations. It didn’t run alongside the article, titled “10,000 Boo Police in Trafalgar Sq.,” which was published in The Times two days later, but the reporter painted a vivid portrait of the scene, describing a crowd that “snarled traffic and surged across roadways,” threw firecrackers at police horses hooves, and knocked the helmet off the head of one policeman.