Labour and the 1907 Asiatic Exclusion League Riot
Published: May 23, 2018
Authors: BC Labour Heritage Centre
With high unemployment and a recession in full swing, the Asiatic Exclusion League (AEL) was formed by the Vancouver Trades and Labor Council in August 1907, with the aim of “keeping Oriental immigrants out of British Columbia”. It is a sad and troubling part of BC’s labour history.
At its formation, the Vancouver Asiatic Exclusion League (AEL) determined it would organize a parade and rally in the City, and set to work. It set its sights on expelling all ‘Orientals’ including Japanese, Chinese and South Asians. “Thousands will Line Up in Parade” blared the Vancouver Daily World. “The trade unionists and various fraternal societies…will also aid in the demonstration.”
The Province, August 10, 1907.
On September 5, 1907, in Bellingham Washington, just 40 kilometers to the south, gangs of white thugs rounded up the city’s South Asian mill workers and ordered them out of town. Many headed north to Vancouver by train or on foot to escape the violence, but they would find little refuge.
After the Bellingham Riots on September 5, 1907, many Sikh mill workers sought refuge in Vancouver | University of Washington UW18744
As the refugees arrived in Vancouver, AEL organizers forged ahead with their plan to parade through the streets, carrying signs and flags calling for “A White Canada”.
On September 7, 1907 while a huge crowd listened to speeches outside City Hall, Lieutenant Governor James Dunsmuir was hung in effigy — not as a ruthless anti-union coal mine owner — but because he refused to give assent to legislation that would further restrict Asiatic immigration to BC. A capitalist to the core, Dunsmuir exploited immigrant labour to keep his profits high.
The parade and rally turned violent. Thousands of Asiatic Exclusion League supporters and members of the general public rioted, marching into Chinatown destroying homes and businesses. Windows are smashed, stores looted, and many Chinese people are beaten. After venting their fury on Chinatown, the crowd headed to Powell Street to attack Japanese citizens. However, the Japanese community was forewarned and the crowd was beaten back.
Smashed window of a barber’s shop with a boy to one side, 1907, Vancouver Public Library #941)
By 1921, the Asiatic Exclusion League, somewhat dormant since the 1907 riot, resurfaced and claimed to have 40,000 BC members. Pressure from this group led to the passage of the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, which ended virtually all Chinese immigration to Canada.
It took until 1947 for The Chinese Exclusion Act to be repealed.