The mandatory vaccinations that triggered a riot in Montreal in 1885

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

More than 2,000 violent rioters - some armed with stones, others with revolvers - stormed through the streets protesting mandatory vaccinations.

"Kill the vaccinators," they shouted.

The scene was Montreal on the night of Sept. 28, 1885, after the city moved to impose compulsory vaccinations to fight a smallpox epidemic.

The protesters were residents of Montreal's French Canadian neighborhood, where distrust of the English-majority government ran deep.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/mandatory-vaccinations-triggered-riot-montreal-113751233.html

[Treefrog]

1. Unreal.

Sadly, Canada seems to have matured since those times.

We seem to be going backward here.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

2. Vaccinations back then were nowhere near as safe as today

If getting vaccinated today was like 100% chance you get sick to some degree and spend some time out of commission, 90% chance it works and you live, 10% chance you get so sick you die ... I would understand people's reticence to get the poke.

They didn't really even have vaccines back then, not when compared to what we now understand the term to mean.

[appalachiablue]

3. K/R Samo

[abqtommy]

4. We're seeing the same response amongst the population in France today. What's up with them?

disclaimer: I have ancestors who came from French Canada back in the day but I guess I missed
getting the anti-vax gene.