The Jubilee riots of 1875 were an outbreak of

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

sectarian violence Sectarian violence or sectarian strife is a form of communal violence which is inspired by sectarianism, that is, discrimination, hatred or prejudice between different sects of a particular mode of an ideology or different sects of a religion wi ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. The riots happened during a series of Catholic religious

pilgrimages A pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is o ...

related to the

Jubilee year A jubilee is often used to refer to the celebration of a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term comes from the Hebrew Bible (see, "Old Testament"), initially concerning ...

declared by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

. The first riot occurred on September 26, during a pilgrims' march to the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

at St. Michael's Cathedral.{{cite news , url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28400784 , title=RELIGIOUS RIOT IN TORONTO , date=16 December 1875 , newspaper=

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

, access-date=17 March 2024 , agency=New York Herald , location=Toronto , page=3 , orig-date=Originally published in New York Herald, 3 October 1875 , ref=none The parade had been advertised in the ''Irish Canadian'' newspaper, which led a group of opponents to petition Mayor Francis Henry Medcalf to have the event banned. It proceeded, however, with a pledge from the Catholic clergy that it would remain "quiet, peaceful, and Christian".The Jubilee Riots in Toronto, 1875
by

Martin Galvin Martin J. Galvin (born January 8, 1950) is an Irish American lawyer, publisher and activist, and former director of NORAID. Background Galvin was born on January 8, 1950, the son of a fireman. He attended Catholic schools, Fordham University and ...

. CCHA, Report, 26 (1959), 93-107.

Stone throwing Stone throwing or rock throwing, when it is directed at another person (called stone pelting in India), is often considered a form of criminal battery. In certain political contexts, stone-throwing is considered a form of civil resistance. H ...

between pilgrims and onlookers started at

Spadina Avenue Spadina Avenue (, less commonly ) is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods. Spadina Avenue runs south ...

and Queen Street and spread to several nearby streets. There were reports of shots being fired on Simcoe Street. The

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

attempted to separate the pilgrims and their attackers, but were briefly overwhelmed before charging the rioters with batons and seizing several firearms. Commentary following the riots was divided. Editorials in the ''

Mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...

'' criticized those who attacked the pilgrims as having started the riot but questioned the wisdom and tact of the Catholic organizers of the parade for the route chosen and for advertising it in the ''Irish Canadian''. The ''

Globe A globe is a spherical Earth, spherical Model#Physical model, model of Earth, of some other astronomical object, celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but, unlike maps, they do not distort the surface ...

'' defended the pilgrims as law-abiding. The ''

Leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

'' suggested that asking members of Catholic societies to line the streets to watch the parade was asking for trouble. The Toronto Orange Lodge demanded that similar future marches be suppressed. A tense public meeting was held where the city fathers implored the Catholics not to march again. A second riot broke out on October 3. Stone throwing began at McGill Square and was soon accompanied by pistol fire. This led to a full-pitched battle between pilgrims and anti-processionists, which spilled out into multiple locations. Many were hurt, with rioters being beaten back by police. Cavalry, under the command of the mayor himself, was brought up to defend the pilgrims. Following the second riot, the press roundly condemned the anti-processionists, and praised the authorities. They were especially keen to point out that while the mob may have been Protestant, the mayor and troops that had defended Catholics' right to worship were also largely Protestant. An offshoot of the Orange Order called the Young Britons was accused of incitement by witnesses and in editorials by the

Toronto Globe ''The Globe'' was a Canadian newspaper in Toronto, Ontario, founded in 1844 by George Brown as a Reform voice. It merged with ''The Mail and Empire'' in 1936 to form ''The Globe and Mail''. History ''The Globe'' is pre-dated by a title of the s ...

References

1875 in Canada 1870s crimes in Canada Violence in Toronto Riots and civil disorder in Canada Catholic–Protestant sectarian violence 1875 riots History of Catholicism in Canada Protestantism in Canada Religious riots Religiously motivated violence in Canada 19th century in Toronto September 1875 October 1875

See also

References