A shooting during a Watchmakers Dispute at Cluses, France

A postcard sold to raise money for the victims of a shooting during a strike by Watchmakers in the French town of Cluses, Haute Savoie on May 10th, 1904. The watchmakers were protesting against the perceived unfair dismissal of seven workers by the boss of one the biggest manufactures in the valley. Faced with the refusal of the employer to reinstate the dismissed workers, strikers continued their demonstrations for more than two months, resulting in the first major social conflict in the Faucigny region. On July 18th, after several failed attempts at conciliation, a big demonstration of striking workers, supported by part of the population of nearby towns, crossed the main square of Cluses towards the (now-inactive) factory. Shots were then fired at the crowd from two of the upper windows of the factory. The casualty toll was three dead and fifty wounded (among the demonstrators). The Shooters were narrowly saved from the workers anger by dragoons and policemen present in the vicinity of the drama. The security forces were however unable to prevent the sacking and burning of workshops. Tried at the assizes of Bonneville by a jury, along with six workers accused of looting, those accused of the shooting were sentenced to one year in prison while the fourth (the son of the boss), at the scene but inactive, received eight months imprisonment. The workers were all acquitted. This postcard dramatically recounts the scenes of the tragedy

Atrocity Deaths Dec15 Demonstrators Dispute Haute Naive Savoie Watchmaker Watchmakers

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