The
Haymarket affair (also known as the
Haymarket massacre or
Haymarket riot) was the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor
demonstration on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square in
Chicago. It began as a peaceful rally in support of workers
striking for an
eight-hour day and in reaction to the killing of several workers the previous day by the police. An unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at
police as they acted to disperse the public meeting. The bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of seven police officers and at least four civilians; scores of others were wounded.