The film '' Peterloo '' will mark the 200th anniversary of the notorious Peterloo Massacre . On 16 August 1819 , a crowd of some 60,000 people from Manchester and surrounding towns gathered in St Peter ’s Fields to demand Parliamentary reform and an extension of voting rights . The meeting had been peaceful but in the attempt to arrest a leader of the meeting , the armed government militias panicked and charged upon the crowd . The toll of casualties has always been disputed but as many as 15 people were killed and up to 700 wounded . The immediate effect of the massacre was a crackdown on reform , as the authorities feared the country was heading towards armed rebellion . The outcry led to the founding of the '' Manchester Guardian '' and played a significant role in the passage through Parliament of the Great Reform Act 13 years later
Peterloo Massacre
Peterloo Massacre
Peterloo (film)