the placards borne by the radicals were taken away from them,

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the placards borne by the radicals were taken away from them, their clothing torn and eyes blackened before the service and ex-servicemen had finished with them

Refers to the dangers of perceived "radical" political or labor activity in this era, especially during the First Red Scare of 1919-1920 (see a related newsreel item). The media here is from the 1912 Lawrence, MA Textile Strike, which was led by the Wobblies (Industrial Workers of the World). The strike elicited violent reactions fairly typical for the time, such as local militia patrols, use of fire hoses on picketers, and jail sentences.

Related Media:
1. "Massachusetts militiamen with fixed bayonets surround a parade of peaceful strikers."
2. Text of the Proclamation of the Striking Textile Workers of Lawrence, which was circulated internationally.
3. Children of the striking workers travelled to New York, where they were able to live with sympathizers, allowing their parents to continue the strike without worrying about feeding and protecting their families.
4. A poster from the strikers encouraging continued solidarity.

Source(s)

Information Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1912_Lawrence_Textile_Strike

Media Sources:
1. "1912 Lawrence Textile Strike 1", 1912. Via Wikimedia Commons.
2. Text of the "Proclamation of the Striking Textile Workers of Lawrence" by the Striking Textile Workers of Lawrence, 1912. Public domain via Wikisource.
3. "Lawrence-kids-1912". Public domain. Library of Congress via Wikipedia.
4. "1912 Lawrence Textile Strike 2", September 1912. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

File: Proclamation.pdf

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