Christmas – Working Class History

November 13, 2018December 24, 2025 Working Class History Blog

WCH Christmas merch

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13 September 1943: Belle Vue Harel strike - On This Day in Working Class History

On this day, 13 September 1943, workers on the Belle Vue Harel sugar estate in Mauritius went on strike demanding a pay increase. After sugar strikes in 1937, the British colonial government set up a conciliation mechanism for industrial disputes. At conciliation, two representatives of the workers agreed to a proposal from the sugar planters to end the dispute, but they did this without consulting the workers they purported to represent. The strikers, who were unhappy with the proposed agreement, therefore kept up the strike.On September 27 over 30 police were sent to the camp, where they confronted around 250 workers, women and children who were armed with sticks and stones. When police attempted to arrest a worker whom they accused of beating a police officer earlier that day, the crowd threw missiles at the police, who then opened fire into the crowd killing four and wounding 16. Those killed were named Kistnasamy Mooneesamy, Moonsamy Moonien, Marday Panapen, and Soondrum Pavatdan, also known as Anjalay Coopen. Coopen, a 32-year-old woman who was pregnant at the time but whose foetus was also killed, subsequently became a powerful symbol to the Mauritian working class movement, and remains so to this day, and there are now various monuments and buildings on the island commemorating her (one of which is pictured).More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7747/belle-vue-harel-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History