'Suffrajitsu': How the suffragettes fought back using martial arts
'Suffrajitsu': How the suffragettes fought back using martial arts
By Camila Ruz & Justin Parkinson
BBC News Magazine
Oct. 5, 2015
The film Suffragette, which is due for release, portrays the struggle by British women to win the vote. They were exposed to violence and intimidation as their campaign became more militant. So they taught themselves the martial art of jiu-jitsu.
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A group of around 300 suffragettes met a wall of policemen outside Parliament. Heavily outnumbered, the women were assaulted by both police and male vigilantes in the crowd. Many sustained serious injuries and two women died as a result. More than 100 suffragettes were arrested.
"A lot said they had been groped by the police and male bystanders," says Elizabeth Crawford, author of The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide. "After that, women didn't go to these demonstrations unprepared."
Some started putting cardboard over their ribs for protection. But Garrud was already teaching the WSPU to fight back. Her chosen method was the ancient Japanese martial art of jiu-jitsu. It emphasised using the attacker's force against them, channelling their momentum and targeting their pressure points.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34425615
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Interesting article. Been following suffragette on facebook and can't wait for the movie to come out in a couple weeks.