Vancouver History: Riots! Part I

With the Olympics closing in, I thought it was high time that we looked at a great Vancouver tradition that we've long since forgotten. I'll be starting in chronological order in the year 1935 with the Battle of Ballantyne Pier, working my way towards the infamous Guns N' Roses riot of 2002. So join me in the next couple of weeks as we take a tour of Vancouver civil disobedience at it's finest (take notes!) and please remind me if I've forgotten any. I recommend keeping your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.

The Battle of Ballantyne Pier was essentially a clusterfuck of three levels of government police versus Communist-led protestors on the 18th of June, 1935 in the East End. Ten years earlier, the Longshoreman's union had it's executive seized by Communist organizers which turned the union militant and began working towards strike action. A lockout finally began on May 27, 1935 only after an agreement had already been reached between the Union and the Shipping Federation of British Columbia - the terms of which were unfavourable for the longshoreman. The Union then voted to take over dispatching unilaterally, stating that the Shipping Federation unfairly discriminated against workers, targeting those who were sympathetic to labour issues or simply disliked by the dispatcher. In turn, the Federation claimed that the takeover violated their agreement and locked out the longshoreman, hiring scabs or "replacement workers" and gathering hundreds of local police to break the strike. I can feel the tension already!

In addition, 2000 relief camp workers stormed Vancouver in April of 1935 to protest conditions in the camp; the WUL hoped to merge the two strikes into one gigantic Communist general strike. The Police and the Shipping Federation claimed that this was an attempt at a Bolshevik uprising in the West and everyone was feeling a wee bit tense by the time the waterfront strike actually started.

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on if you're a Communist), the merged Bolshevik love-in was not to be, save for a one day protest on May Day. The relief workers packed their hobo sticks and took off on the On-to Ottawa Trek, deciding that their beef over the conditions at Federal Relief Camps were a Federal issue - smart thinking.

On June 18th, 1935 1000 protesters marched towards the Heatley Street entrance to the Pier to "speak" to the scabs. Marching behind a Union Jack Flag, demonstrators were met by Chief Constable Colonel W. W. Foster who would not let them proceed. When the demonstrators refused to turn around, police got busy attacking them with clubs and tear gas as rioters fought back with rocks and other projectiles. The ensuing melee lasted for only three hours and resulted in numerous injuries on both sides requiring hospitalization.

In essence, the Battle of Ballantyne Pier was a typical Vancouver labour dispute - overblown with mass hype and hysteria leading to very little change. While the strike failed to incite a massive Bolshevik uprising in Vancouver, it did eventually lead to the creation of an independent union for the longshoreman - albeit a decade later.

Join me next Monday when I take a look at more vicious beatings during Vancouver's own Bloody Sunday.

(Photos from the BC Archives, VPL, and Keeping Time respectively)