Plain facts about the suffragette deputations

Leaflet No.75 published by the Women's Social and Political Union, entitled 'Plain Facts about the Suffragette Deputations'. This leaflet was published in response to the events that occured on 18th November 1910, known as Black Friday that resulted in the arrest of 115 women and four men. The leaflet includes accounts of many of the protestors that suffered violence, intimidation and even acts of indecency at the hands of the police. One Suffragette noted 'Several times constables and plain-clothes men who were in the crowds passed their arms round me from the back and clutched hold of my breasts in as public a manner as possible, and men in the crowd followed their example.....My skirt was lifted up as high as possible, and the constable attempted to lift me off the ground by raising his knee. This he could not do, so he threw me into the crowd and incited the men to treat me as they wished'. The event caused an outrage and all those arrested were released without charge on the instructions of the Home Secretary.