Peasant March
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The Peasant March (Talonpoikaismarssi in Finnish) was a demonstration in Helsinki on 7 July 1930 by the far-right Lapua movement, attended by more than 12,000 supporters from all over the country. It was the most significant show of strength in the short history of the Lapua movement, aimed primarily at the Communists, but it was also intended to put pressure on the Finnish government. President Lauri Relander, Prime Minister Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, among others, were invited guests at the main event held at the Senate Square. In addition present were right-wing MPs, the country's military leadership, and General Mannerheim, commander-in-chief of the Civil War White Army . The peasant march was intentionally reminiscent of the White Victory Parade of 16 May 1918, and also followed by its route.[1]
The original purpose of the peasant march was to cause the fall of the cabinet of Kyösti Kallio, who pursued a policy of reconciliation with former reds. When the main goal was realized a few days before the march, the demonstration focused on opposing communism. In his speech to the Parliament, Vihtori Kosola, the leader of the Lapua movement, presented his demands for legislation banning the activities of the Communists. Other keynote speakers were the priests Kaarlo Kares and Väinö Malmivaara, who gave religious speeches and demanded, among other things, end to blasphemy. In addition to the opposition from the left, the incident sparked opposition from the moderate right as they feared a coup attempt from Lapua.[1]
Participants
The number of participants in the march was originally planned to be 40,000, but for security reasons it was decided to limit it to 10,000 men. When there were still significantly more registered, the march was restricted to those over 24 years of age. It also sought to ensure that the event remained calm, with only older men accustomed to military discipline. For the younger ones, white guard celebrations were held across the country for the same weekend. The final number of participants was about 12,600. The march was organized according to white guard districts into 21 battalions with a total of 75 companies. They were further divided into teams and groups of eight men.[2][3]
References
- ^ a b Perälä, Reijo. "Talonpoikaismarssin tarkoituksena oli osoittaa, miten valkoista Suomea piti hallita". Yle Elävä arkisto.
- ^ Siltala, Juha (1985). Lapuan liike ja kyyditykset 1930. Otava. ISBN 978-951-10871-6-8.
- ^ Silvennoinen, Oula ; Tikka, Marko ; Roselius, Aapo (2016). Suomalaiset fasistit : mustan sarastuksen airuet. WSOY. ISBN 978-951-04013-2-3.
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