Thousands of people carrying burning torches filled the streets of Newport on Saturday night, gathering to remember the Chartists and their fight for the right to vote.
The annual torchlit march took place on November 7, marking the end of the ten-day Newport Rising Festival. Marchers carrying flaming torches made their way down Stow Hill towards the Westgate Hotel in Newport city centre.
Re-enacting the 1839 Newport Rising
The event re-enacted the Newport Rising of 1839, when thousands of Chartists marched on the Westgate Hotel demanding political reform. Soldiers opened fire on the crowd, killing 22 people and wounding many more.
The Chartists were a working-class movement who campaigned for political rights, including the right for ordinary working men to vote. Their campaign helped pave the way for wider democratic reform.
Organised by Our Chartist Heritage
The torchlit procession is organised by the charity Our Chartist Heritage. It first began eight years ago and has continued to grow in popularity.
Dr Melinda Drowley, chair of Our Chartist Heritage, said: "The battle for the popular vote was one of the most important stories of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and a hugely important part of that story was played out here on these streets."
"That's why it's so inspiring to see people from across Newport and South Wales turning out in such numbers to embrace this unique heritage and recognise its significance for the present day and the future."
Festival culmination and closing events
The march was the culmination of ten days of events, including live music, talks, film screenings, guided walks, a radical book fair, a schools celebration and a Chartist convention.
Addressing crowds at Bellevue Park before the procession, Jess Turner, regional secretary of Unison Cymru, said: "The Chartists knew they could achieve change when they stood together and the best way to honour the Chartists is to continue their work, stand up for equality and resist every attempt to divide working people."
Marchers were also entertained by local choirs and musicians before actor Rob Murphy read the Riot Act, which would have been heard by the Chartists before soldiers opened fire in 1839. The evening ended outside the Westgate Hotel with the lighting of a fiery globe, symbolising the worldwide significance of the Chartists' sacrifice, followed by a performance from community choir The People's Show.
