The Eel Riots of Lindengracht

In the Jordaan, people always knew how to stand their ground. But the reason for this particular riot was truly something else.

Here you are, standing on the Lindengracht. Take a look at the attached photos and you'll see what all the trouble was about: a live eel, strung up on a rope above the water, while men in rowboats tried to yank it loose with their bare hands. Whoever ripped the head off without falling in was the winner. Brutal? Yes. But for the poor, packed streets of the Jordaan, it was everything.

When the authorities banned eel pulling in 1886, they underestimated what it meant to people here. This was one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Netherlands. Unemployment was rising, space was scarce, and now even this rough bit of fun was taken away.

On 25 July, someone organised the game anyway. Police moved in. The crowd turned on them. Stones flew. Officers were beaten and carried off to hospital.

The next day was worse. Barricades went up on these very streets. Rooftops became battlegrounds. The army opened fire. When it was over, 26 people were dead.

All of that, sparked right here on this canal.