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The Colonial Building riot was a riot that occurred in front of the Colonial Building in St. John's, Newfoundland, on April 5, 1932. Prompted by the Great Depression and corruption in the Squires administration, a peaceful protest degenerated into riots and violence. The riots led to the fall of the Squires government and the defeat of Squires's Liberal Party.
Richard Squires was elected as Prime Minister of Newfoundland in 1928, despite having previously been arrested in a 1923 bribery scandal. Shortly after, the Great Depression arrived in Newfoundland. Newfoundland was hit especially hard by the depression. At the same time, Squires was facing allegations of corruption. His finance minister, Peter John Cashin, resigned in 1932 alleging widespread corruption in Squires' administration and of falsifying minutes to hide secret payments he had received. John Middleton was asked to investigate the charges. His conclusion that there was no sign of falsified records was a major trigger for the riots. [1]
In the afternoon of April 5, a large crowd of protesters had gathered at the Majestic Theatre for a planned march to the Colonial Building. Beginning with 2,000 people, the protest eventually gained an additional 1,500 as they marched toward the Colonial Building. Upon arrival at the building, protest leaders presented a petition demanding investigation of the corruption charges against Squires. Protestors got impatient waiting for a response to the petition, and some started attempting to break through the doors. When the doors were finally breached, protestors began entering the building and the police attacked everyone they saw with batons, including several uninvolved spectators, both inside and outside the building. In response, protestors began throwing objects through windows, breaking most windows in the building. There were also attempts to set the building on fire, which all failed. Prime Minister Squires exited the building at around 7:30, surrounded by bodyguards, but was found by the crowd, who forced him into a private residence. However, Squires successfully escaped through a back door of the house. Damage was estimated at $10,000. [2]
Squires resigned as Prime Minister while the riot was still in progress and called new elections. In the resulting election, Squires' Liberal Party won a mere two seats, losing to rival party United Newfoundland Party that won most of the seats. This government was dissolved in 1934 and replaced by the Commission of Government, a non-democratic body with representatives chosen by the British Government. Newfoundland would not see another democratic election until it joined Canada as its tenth province in 1949.
After the Communist rulership ended and the former Communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu was executed in the midst of the bloody Romanian Revolution of December 1989, the National Salvation Front (FSN) seized power, led by Ion Iliescu. The FSN transformed itself into a massive political party in short time and overwhelmingly won the general election of May 1990, with Iliescu as president. These first months of 1990 were marked by violent protests and counter-protests, involving most notably the tremendously violent and brutal coal miners of the Jiu Valley which were called by Iliescu himself and the FSN to crush peaceful protesters in the University Square in Bucharest.
Sir Richard Anderson Squires KCMG was the Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1919 to 1923 and from 1928 to 1932.
Frederick Charles Alderdice was a Newfoundland businessman, politician and the last Prime Minister of Newfoundland. Alderdice was born in Belfast, Ireland and was educated at Methodist College Belfast. He moved to Newfoundland in 1886. A prominent St. John's businessman, Alderdice was appointed to the Legislative Council of Newfoundland in 1924 and became leader of the Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party and the dominion's Prime Minister when his cousin Walter Stanley Monroe retired from the post on August 15, 1928. Alderdice's first term as prime minister was short-lived, however, as his government lost that year's general election to the Liberals led by Sir Richard Squires.
William Robertson Warren was a Newfoundland lawyer, politician and judge who served as the dominion's Prime Minister from July 1923 to April 1924.
Walter Stanley Monroe was a businessman and conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1924 to 1928 as leader of the Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party.
Sir John Middleton, was a British colonial administrator.
Augustus Frederick Goodridge was a Newfoundland merchant and politician. He was premier of Newfoundland in 1894.
Sir William Vallance Whiteway, was a politician and three time Premier of Newfoundland.
Newfoundland was a British dominion in eastern North America, today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was confirmed by the Balfour Declaration of 1926 and the Statute of Westminster of 1931. It included the island of Newfoundland, and Labrador on the continental mainland. Newfoundland was one of the original dominions within the meaning of the Balfour Declaration, and accordingly enjoyed a constitutional status equivalent to the other dominions of the time.
Several political groupings functioned in the Dominion of Newfoundland under the name Liberal Party of Newfoundland from the granting of responsible government to the island in the 1850s until its suspension in 1934 when the Commission of Government was instituted. During that period, Newfoundland was an independent dominion within the British Empire, responsible for its own internal affairs.
Major Peter John Cashin was a businessman, soldier and politician in Newfoundland.
The Colonial Building is a historic government building located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The building was the home of the colonial and later provincial Newfoundland government and the House of Assembly from January 28, 1850 to July 28, 1959. In 1974, it was declared a Provincial Historic Site.
Newfoundland, as a British colony and dominion, held 29 general elections for its 28 Newfoundland House of Assemblies; the results of the second election in 1836 were set aside, and another election held in 1837.
The Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador has a unicameral legislature, the General Assembly composed of the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, which operates on the Westminster system of government. The executive function of government is formed by the Lieutenant Governor, the premier and his or her cabinet.
The 1932 Newfoundland general election was held on 11 June 1932 to elect members of the 28th General Assembly of Newfoundland. This vote proved to be the final general election held by the Dominion of Newfoundland. As a result of a riot which occurred in 1932 due to Newfoundland's deteriorating economic situation, Prime Minister Sir Richard Squires dissolved the House of Assembly and called an election. His Liberals were reduced to two seats while Frederick C. Alderdice's United Newfoundland Party won 24 seats and was elected to government. The size of the House was reduced from 40 to 27 as an economy measure.
The 2009 Riga riot was an outbreak of civil unrest in Riga, Latvia, on January 13, 2009, lasting for three hours following the economic downturn of the 2008 Latvian financial crisis as well as political discontent with the Latvian government's continued pursuance of austerity policies. Around 10,000 people gathered for anti-government protests which eventually became violent. The riot was the worst outbreak of violence in Latvia since 1991 when Latvia declared independence from the Soviet Union.
The 1923 Newfoundland general election was held on 3 May 1923 to elect members of the 25th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The Liberal Reform Party, an alliance between the Liberals led by Richard Squires and the Fishermen's Protective Union of William Coaker, formed the government. The Liberal-Labour-Progressive party, now led by William J. Higgins, formed the opposition. Squires was forced to resign as Prime Minister in 1923 after allegations of corruption were brought forward. William Warren became Liberal Reform Party leader and Prime Minister. After Warren's government was defeated following a motion of no confidence, Albert Hickman was asked to form a government and Warren joined Higgins in a new Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party.
The members of the 25th General Assembly of Newfoundland were elected in the Newfoundland general election held in May 1923. The general assembly sat from 1923 to 1924.
The members of the 27th General Assembly of Newfoundland were elected in the Newfoundland general election held in June 1928. The general assembly sat from 1928 to 1932.