Red Square

The first demonstrator to die in Great Britain for over half a century during the Red Lion Square disorders of June 1974.

The Red Lion Square disorders of 15 June 1974 marked a violent clash between far-right and anti-fascist demonstrators in London, resulting in a single fatality that became a flashpoint in British political history. A student who was not a member of any political organization and was attending his first public demonstration died from a head injury sustained during the confrontation. His death sparked a public inquiry led by Lord Scarman and remains the first recorded death in a public demonstration in Great Britain for at least 55 years.

Quick Facts

Location: Red Lion Square, London
Date: 15 June 1974
Police deployed: 923 total (711 foot-police, 25 mounted)
Demonstrators: National Front (~900); Liberation counter-demonstration (1,000–1,500)

Lore & Background

On 15 June 1974, the National Front held a march through central London supporting compulsory repatriation of immigrants, ending at Conway Hall. Liberation, an anti-colonial group increasingly infiltrated by hard-left activists like those from the International Marxist Group (IMG), planned a counter-demonstration. The police had initially feared no violence from Liberation, but the IMG was determined to picket Conway Hall's front entrance. When the Liberation march reached Red Lion Square, the IMG twice charged the police cordon blocking access to the hall. Police reinforcements, including mounted units and 112 officers from the Special Patrol Group (SPG), forced rioting demonstrators out of the square. As people moved away, a young man was found unconscious on the ground.

Reader's Guide

The Red Lion Square disorders occurred on 15 June 1974 involving a National Front march and an anti-fascist counter-demonstration. Key locations included Conway Hall, where both groups planned meetings, and the surrounding square where 923 police officers were deployed (including 711 foot-police and 25 mounted). The conflict centered on the IMG's attempt to block access to the hall. Following Gately's death, a public inquiry by Lord Scarman cleared the police of causing his death but assigned heavy moral responsibility to riot starters. The events made the National Front a household name and led to further violence in subsequent years, including the 1977 disturbances in Birmingham, Manchester, and the East End, as well as the 1979 death of Blair Peach in Southall.

Did You Know?

Lord Scarman's inquiry concluded that while police did not kill the victim, those who started the riot carried a 'heavy' measure of moral responsibility for his death.
Syd Bidwell, an MP scheduled to speak at the Liberation meeting in Red Lion Square when violence began, later described both this victim and Blair Peach as martyrs against fascism.