Louis Mailloux Affair
Violent events in New Brunswick, Canada in 1875 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Louis Mailloux Affair[Note 1] was a series of violent events similar to a jacquerie that occurred in the town of Caraquet, New Brunswick (Canada), in January 1875.
In 1871 Law 87 was enacted to reform the public education system in the province and enhanced its funding. This legislation sparked the New Brunswick Schools Question, leading to political turmoil in the province and throughout Canada for four years.[1]
Caraquet was one of the cities where opposition to the school issue was strongest. The precarious situation of a portion of the population, worsened by the control of a minority of Anglophone merchants, escalated in January 1875. Several riots and demonstrations occurred; some were related to the school issue, others were not. The police, supported by a militia and later by the army, intervened. On January 27, a shootout took place at André Albert's house, resulting in the deaths of two individuals, John Gifford and Louis Mailloux.
After a rushed investigation, multiple judicial trials were conducted to address the riots and the death of John Gifford, while overlooking that of Louis Mailloux. In the end, all charges in the case were dropped, and the accused were set free; nevertheless, the events had deeply divided the province.
More than a century later opinions on these events are still divided and continue to provoke controversies. The Louis Mailloux Affair remains a prominent part of Acadian culture and has inspired numerous musical and theatrical works.