Hundreds gather for 200th anniversary of Peterloo massacre
Video report by ITV News Arts Editor Nina Nannar
Hundreds of people gathered in Manchester to mark the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo massacre.
In 1819, tens of thousands marched to St Peter's Field to protest peacefully for political reform before soldiers charged into the crowd and brutally attacked unarmed protesters.
Today those killed when it became a state-ordered massacre were remembered and each of them named.
Performances recalled the pro-democracy gathering of 60,000 which ended with at least 18 dead and more than 600 wounded.
Sheila Lemoine-Abrams, 95, great-great grandfather John Barnish walked from Rochdale that day and survived to walk back again.
The 95-year-old, who served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service in the second world war told ITV News: "I am deeply proud of him, yes, I'd like to think in my hereditary that I can take courage from their courage in standing up and saying their truth."
"Everybody needs to be listened to when they say their truth," she added.
The crowd had come to remember both those who stood up for their rights and to declare that fight continues.
Film directors Danny Boyle and Mike Leigh joined others in reading out the names of those who died, as eighteen plumes of red smoke were released from Manchester Cathedral.
The massacre led to the founding of the Manchester Guardian by John Edward Taylor, a young journalist who was inspired to establish his own newspaper after witnessing the events of the day.
A memorial to the massacre, designed by Turner prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller, has also been unveiled at the site it took place.