Alice Paul's first arrest

Alice Paul's first arrest

Alice Paul was first arrested in London. On June 29, 1907 she joined the Pankhursts storming the House of Commons, frustrated the Prime Minister ignored their demand for action. In the slammer she met Lucy Burns, whose red hair and American flag pin were hard to miss. Thread.

On July 30, Alice and 11 other women forced their way into a speech by David Lloyd George. She was sentenced to two weeks in jail, where she refused to eat or wear prison clothes.

On September 12, Alice & Lucy broke windows in a hall where Winston Churchill was speaking.

Women across the UK were being arrested for disruptive suffrage protests - they spat at police officers, broke windows, shouted down politicians. In jail they refused to eat and were force-fed thru nasal tubes. @TinaCassidy2 describes this vividly in her book.👇Annie Kenney, 1905

In November the radical WSPU escalated its campaign against Churchill, an up-and-coming politician opposed to women’s suffrage. Lucy Burns infiltrated a fancy party, where she accosted him, asking: “How can you dine here while women are starving in prison?”

Alice Paul snuck into the party disguised as cleaning staff. When the crowd quieted for a toast, Alice & Amelia Brown smashed a stained glass window and were dragged out shouting “Votes for Women!” Alice spent nearly a month in jail, violently force fed twice a day. #Suffrage100

Daily Suffragist

30/05/2020