Christmas Day Massacre (El Salvador)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
San Salvador, El Salvador
approximately 4:00 p.m.
| Christmas Day Massacre | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Rally attendants fleeing the massacre site | |
  San Salvador San Salvador (El Salvador) | |
| Location | 13°41′51″N 89°11′28″W / 13.69750°N 89.19111°W San Salvador, El Salvador |
| Date | 25 December 1922 approximately 4:00 p.m. |
| Target | Pro-Miguel Tomás Molina political rally |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Deaths | "Dozens" |
| Injured | 100+ |
| Perpetrators | Red League Salvadoran Army National Guard National Police |
The Christmas Day Massacre occurred on 25 December 1922 in San Salvador, El Salvador when members of El Salvador's security forces and the paramilitary Red League shot at a crowd of people supporting the presidential campaign of Miguel Tomás Molina.
Ahead of the 1923 Salvadoran presidential election, the National Democratic Party (PND) chose Vice President Alfonso Quiñónez Molina as its presidential candidate to extend the rule of the governing Meléndez–Quiñónez dynasty. Miguel Tomás Molina, a former government minister and Quiñónez's cousin, declared that he would challenge Quiñónez to the presidency as a member of the Constitutional Party.[1] President Jorge Meléndez declared a state of emergency that banned political rallies,[2] and Molina accused the government of repression.[3]
Massacre
On the afternoon of 25 December 1922, Molina held a political rally in downtown San Salvador. The rally included a large contingent of women belonging to the Constitutional Party's feminine committee that hoped Molina would grant women universal suffrage if elected. Around 100 members of the Red League, a paramilitary organization of the PND, as well as members of the Salvadoran Army's cavalry regiment, the National Guard, and the National Police attacked and shot at the crowd.[3][4] The massacre resulted in "dozens" of deaths and over 100 injuries.[3]
