1903 water riots
Encyclopedia
The 1903 water riots took place in Port of Spain
, Trinidad and Tobago
. As a result of the riots, the Red House
, which was the seat of the Executive and Legislative Council
was destroyed.
Following the building of national waterworks infrastructure, the Government passed an ordinance that increased the cost of water. A number of public meetings had been held to protest the increase, culminating in a demonstration on March 23 in Brunswick Square, located outside the Red House. Protesters threw rocks at the building, smashing windows (including a historical stained glass window commemorating the arrival of Christopher Columbus
and causing members of the legislature to hide under tables for protection. The protesters then set the lower floor on fire, at which time police opened fire on the crowd, killing thirteen people, and injuring forty-two others. The fire completely gutted the Red House.
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. As a result of the riots, the Red House
The Red House (Trinidad and Tobago)
The Red House is the seat of Parliament in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The architectural design of the Red House is of Greek revival style. The original building was destroyed in the 1903 water riots and was rebuilt in the year 1907. The Red House is located centrally within the capital...
, which was the seat of the Executive and Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago
The Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago served as an advisory commission to the Governor in British-ruled Trinidad and Tobago, between 1925 and independence in 1961. The Legislative Council consisted of a mixture of appointed and elected members...
was destroyed.
Following the building of national waterworks infrastructure, the Government passed an ordinance that increased the cost of water. A number of public meetings had been held to protest the increase, culminating in a demonstration on March 23 in Brunswick Square, located outside the Red House. Protesters threw rocks at the building, smashing windows (including a historical stained glass window commemorating the arrival of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
and causing members of the legislature to hide under tables for protection. The protesters then set the lower floor on fire, at which time police opened fire on the crowd, killing thirteen people, and injuring forty-two others. The fire completely gutted the Red House.