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Saturday 24th April will mark 150 years since the Match Tax Protests. The Matchgirls Memorial is launching a campaign to mark this milestone. We are calling on people across the UK to light a match on 24th April and share a photo of it on social media. Our aim is to raise awareness of the event, to emphasise the knock-on impact of a single action. The hashtag for this event is #STARTSWITHASPARK. In April 1871, the Chancellor of the Exchequer proposed a halfpenny tax per box on the sale of matches. This led to massive protests by match workers, supported by their employer, as there were fears this would drive down the sale of matches and lead to job losses or even lower pay. On Sunday 23rd April, a large protest meeting was held in Victoria Park, London, with speeches denouncing the tax as a “means to ruin the poor in the East-End”, and an agreement to lead a protest march the very next day to Parliament. Why is it important to celebrate this event? This was a very successful, large-scale protest that paved the way for greater vocalisation of workers’ voices across the East End. It is likely that some who took part or saw the protest drew from that spark and, seventeen years later, supported the hugely significant 1888 Matchgirls Strike. During this second action, 1400 working class women and girls from the Bryant and May Match Factory walked out on protests against dangerous and inhumane conditions at the factory. This strike was debated in parliament and paved the way for the labour union movement through the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. It also may have ignited the fight for workers’ and women’s rights more generally. For example, the Dockers’ Strike of 1889 and the women’s suffrage movement. When you make your donation through Givey, the Charity receives 100% of the donation. Your details are safe with Givey and donating is completely secure. Whatsmore, they never share your email address with any third parties except the Charity you donate to.

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