| Hilo massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hilo, Hawaii |
| Date | 1 August 1938 10:00 a.m. |
| Target | IBU, MTC, ILWU, Hawaii Territorial Guard |
Attack type | Police brutality |
| Weapons | Tear gas, Riot guns with Bayonets |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 50 |
| Victims | 200-300 protesters |
| Perpetrators | Hawai‘i County Police Department |
No. of participants | 74 |
| Defender | Hawaii Territorial Guard |
The Hilo massacre, also known as Bloody Monday,[1] was an incident that occurred on 1 August 1938, in Hilo, Hawaii, when over 70 police officers attempted to disband 200 unarmed protesters during a strike, injuring 50 of the demonstrators. In their attempts to disband the crowd, officers tear gassed, hosed and finally fired their riot guns at the protesters, leading to 50 injuries, but no deaths.[2]
These protesters were from a number of ethnicities, including Chinese, Japanese, Native Hawaiian, Luso and Filipino Americans, and from many different unions, including the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union. The different groups, long at odds, put aside their differences to challenge the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company. The unions, led by longshoreman Harry Kamoku, demanded equal wages with workers on the West Coast of the United States and closed shop or union shop.[3]
Strikes began on 4 February 1938,[3] and culminated on 1 August when 200 workers gathered to protest the arrival of the SS Waialeale,[2] a steamship owned by the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company.[3] The protesters were ordered to disband, but refused to comply. Force was used, resulting in hospitalizations.[3]