Buckland Riot
Encyclopedia
The Buckland Riot was an anti-Chinese race riot
that occurred on 4 July 1857, in the goldfields of the Buckland Valley, Victoria, Australia
. At the time approximately 2000 Chinese and 700 European migrants were living in the Buckland area.
. This resentment manifested on 4 July 1857 when around 100 European rioters attacked Chinese settlements in the Buckland Valley. The rioters had just left a public meeting at the Buckland Hotel where the riot ringleaders decided they would attempt to expel all Chinese immigrants in the Buckland Valley. Contemporaneous newspaper reports claim that the riot was "led by Americans 'inflamed by liquor'".
During the riot Chinese residents were beaten and robbed then driven across the Buckland River
. At least three Chinese miners died and entire encampments and a recently constructed Joss house
were destroyed.
Police arrested thirteen European accused rioters, however the empaneled juries acquitted all of major offences "amid the cheers of bystanders". The verdicts of the juries were later criticized in the press.
One of the police involved in the arrests was Robert O'Hara Burke
, later of the infamous Burke and Wills expedition
.
A commemorative monument was unveiled in July 2007 to mark the 150th anniversary of the riot.
Race riot
A race riot or racial riot is an outbreak of violent civil disorder in which race is a key factor. A phenomenon frequently confused with the concept of 'race riot' is sectarian violence, which involves public mass violence or conflict over non-racial factors.-United States:The term had entered the...
that occurred on 4 July 1857, in the goldfields of the Buckland Valley, Victoria, Australia
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. At the time approximately 2000 Chinese and 700 European migrants were living in the Buckland area.
Riot
Anti-Chinese sentiment was widespread during the Victorian gold rushVictorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
. This resentment manifested on 4 July 1857 when around 100 European rioters attacked Chinese settlements in the Buckland Valley. The rioters had just left a public meeting at the Buckland Hotel where the riot ringleaders decided they would attempt to expel all Chinese immigrants in the Buckland Valley. Contemporaneous newspaper reports claim that the riot was "led by Americans 'inflamed by liquor'".
During the riot Chinese residents were beaten and robbed then driven across the Buckland River
Buckland River (Victoria)
The Buckland River is a river in north eastern Victoria, Australia. With its source in the Victorian Alps, it reaches a confluence with the Ovens River immediately downstream from the small town of Porepunkah....
. At least three Chinese miners died and entire encampments and a recently constructed Joss house
Joss house
A Shenist temple or Chinese folk temple is a place for worshiping the variety of indigenous Chinese shen from Chinese folk religion and Chinese mythology....
were destroyed.
Police arrested thirteen European accused rioters, however the empaneled juries acquitted all of major offences "amid the cheers of bystanders". The verdicts of the juries were later criticized in the press.
One of the police involved in the arrests was Robert O'Hara Burke
Robert O'Hara Burke
Robert O'Hara Burke was an Irish soldier and police officer, who achieved fame as an Australian explorer. He was the leader of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition, which was the first expedition to cross Australia from south to north, finding a route across the continent from the settled...
, later of the infamous Burke and Wills expedition
Burke and Wills expedition
In 1860–61, Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills led an expedition of 19 men with the intention of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north, a distance of around 3,250 kilometres...
.
Aftermath
The Chinese miners were invited to return to the Buckland Valley, however only fifty did so.A commemorative monument was unveiled in July 2007 to mark the 150th anniversary of the riot.
External Links
- Trial coverage in The ArgusThe Argus (Australia)The Argus was a morning daily newspaper in Melbourne established in 1846 and closed in 1957. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most of its history, it adopted a left leaning approach from 1949...
.