Battle of George Square

The "Battle of George Square", also known as "Bloody Friday" and "Black Friday", was one of the most intense riots in the history of Glasgow; it took place on Friday, 31 January 1919. The dispute revolved around a campaign for shorter working hours, backed by widespread strike action. Clashes between the City of Glasgow Police and protesters broke out, prompting the Secretary of State for War Winston Churchill to order soldiers and tanks to the city to prevent the violence from escalating due to fears by the UK government of a Bolshevist uprising. It was described as a "socialist revolution" by supporters, as had happened in the 1917 Russian Revolution, and was occurring in Germany and in the Austro-Hungarian Empire while the 'Forty Hours' strike unfolded.