Music like Enter The Haggis
Enter The Haggis
The Jubilee riots of 1875 were an outbreak of Protestant-Catholic sectarian violence in Toronto. The riots happened during a series of Catholic religious pilgrimages related to the Jubilee year declared by Pope Pius IX.
The first riot occurred on September 26, during a pilgrims' march to the bishop's palace at St. Michael's Cathedral. The parade had been advertised in the Irish Canadian newspaper, which led a group of opponents to petition Mayor Francis Henry Medcalf to have the event banned. It proceeded, however, with a pledge from the Catholic clergy that is would remain "quiet, peaceful, and Christian". Stone throwing between pilgrims and onlookers started at Spadina Avenue and Queen Street and spread to several nearby streets. There were reports of shots being fired on Simcoe Street. The police attempted to separate the pilgrims and their attackers, but were briefly overwhelmed before charging the rioters with batons and seizing several firearms.