It's odd. I've been reading about the Suffrage Pilgrimage of 1913.
On 26th July 1913, a year more often associated with Suffragette militancy and the death of Emily Wilding Davison, 50,000 suffragists and supporters of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) converged on Hyde Park for a rally calling for votes for women. This was the culmination of a five week, nationwide Women’s Suffrage Pilgrimage.
The Pilgrimage began on 18th June with six main routes being marched to London, from Carlisle and Newcastle in the north to Lands End and Portsmouth in the south. Some Pilgrims, in uniform dress and adorned with red, white and green badges, sashes and ribbons, completed entire routes, while others joined for a few days at a time. Along the way, they held indoor and open-air meetings to promote the cause.
While many were well received by orderly audiences and enjoyed adequate police protection there were also hostile encounters, in some cases arising from a tendency of the public to not differentiate between the peaceful suffragists and the militant suffragettes. These incidents were recorded by the NUWSS and submitted in a report to the Home Office.
At Nantwich in Cheshire it was reported that “children and young people” were “rowdy, making meeting almost impossible. Afterwards chased Pilgrims to station throwing dirt and stones; one pilgrim hurt with stone on the head. Police took no action.”
At Stafford the crowd was reported as being “very rough” with Miss Margaret Ashton being “lamed by a kick.”
Some frightening incidents were recorded and the woman reported that the police would all too often refuse to intervene.
‘Police quite inadequate in number, but also deliberately abstained from interference and stood by laughing and shrugging their shoulders. One of them was heard to say, ‘They’re asking for it, let them have it’.’
100 years ago and some things don't change.