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On October 13, 1908, Margaret Symons became the first woman ever to speak before the House of Commons in the UK House of Parliament. She was only able to speak a few words before being forcefully carried away, and she made them count.
--On This Day in History, Shit Went Down: October 13, 1908--
Born Margaret Ann Williams in 1879, she accomplished through stealth what tens of thousands of others could not through mass gathering. In September of 1908, the Women’s Social and Political Union printed and released a handbill with the title “Votes for Women,” encouraging people to mass outside the House of Parliament on October 13 and “rush the House of Commons.” In response, police issued arrest warrants for the three women who were leaders of the WSPU for inciting an illegal act.
As many as 60,000 massed outside in Trafalgar Square, but the police presence was overwhelming, and they prevented any rushing from taking place. Margaret Symons, however, worked as a journalist and had a friend who was a Member of Parliament. She knew that women were permitted within the building so long as they were escorted, and could even view the main chamber through a peephole.
As the crowd protested loudly outside, Symons escaped her escort and burst into the House of Commons where a debate was in progress. She yelled, “Attend to the women’s question! Votes for women!” The men were frozen in surprise; the Sergeant-at-Arms recovered first and leaped toward Symons, grabbing her around the waist and carrying her from the room. As he did, she yelled again, “Votes for women!” The event was reported in major newspapers, capturing the tale of how history was made with her being the first woman to ever speak in the House of Commons.
It would be another 10 years before women gained the right to vote in the UK, so long as they were over the age of 30. They did not attain voting rights equal to those of men for an additional 10 years, in 1928. A woman did not speak in the House of Commons again until 1919, when Nancy Astor became the first woman to take her seat as a Member of Parliament, where she served until 1945.
As a consequence of her actions, Margaret Symons had her press permit to enter Parliament confiscated, although it was reinstated two years later. During and after World War I she worked as a journalist in Egypt.
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