Growth in the women's freedom league

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After the creation of the Women's Freedom League in 1907, it continued to grow rapidly throughout Great Britain. The league consisted of sixty branches and had nearly four thousand members.[1]The league established it’s own newspaper called, The Vote.[1] Members of the League were writers, which led to the production of this newspaper.[1]The Vote became the primary means of communication with the public, informing the public of campaigns, protests, and events.[1] This newspaper also helped spread ideas concerning World War I, allowing for the Women's Freedom League to advocate against the war.[1] Members of the League refused to become involved in campaigning efforts led by the British Army. Moreover, members were upset when their women’s suffrage campaign came to a halt while the war was occurring.[1]

 
Image of "The Vote"

Protests and events

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The League's main objective was to attack and reform the government. The League held protests that advocated for pacifism during World War I.[2] Not only did the League advocate against the war, but they also used peaceful forms of protest only such as refusing to complete census forms and not paying taxes.[2] For example, in 1908 and 1909 the members chained themselves to various objects in Parliament in order to protest against the Government.[2] On October 28th, 1908, three members of the Women's Freedom League, Murial Matters, Violet Tillard, and Helen Fox, released a banner at the House of Commons. The women also chained themselves to the grille above a window.[3] Law enforcement had to remove the grille while they were still attached until they could file off the locks that held them connected to the window. This protest became known as the Grille Incident.[3]


References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Women's Suffrage". Spartacus Educational. Cite error: The named reference "Ref #1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c "WFL". Inspiring Women. Cite error: The named reference "Ref #4" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "Women's Freedom League". www.parliament.uk. Cite error: The named reference "Ref #2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).