1968 "Rivers of Blood" speech on immigration
E541585
The 1968 "Rivers of Blood" speech on immigration was a highly controversial address by British politician Enoch Powell that warned of dire social consequences from mass immigration and became a defining flashpoint in the UK’s race and immigration debates.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| 1968 "Rivers of Blood" speech on immigration canonical | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
historical event
ⓘ
political speech ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
1968 Rivers of Blood speech
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Enoch Powell Rivers of Blood speech NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| audience | Conservative Political Centre meeting ⓘ |
| context |
debate over post-war Commonwealth immigration
ⓘ
introduction of anti-discrimination legislation in the UK ⓘ |
| country | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| criticized |
Race Relations Act 1968
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Race Relations Bill 1968 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| date | 20 April 1968 ⓘ |
| ideologyAssociated |
British nationalism
ⓘ
anti-immigration politics ⓘ |
| impact |
increased public support for stricter immigration controls
ⓘ
long-term influence on UK immigration debate ⓘ major controversy in British politics ⓘ polarization of public opinion on immigration ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| ledTo | Enoch Powell's removal as Shadow Defence Secretary ⓘ |
| legacy |
defining flashpoint in UK race relations
ⓘ
enduring controversy in British public discourse ⓘ reference point in discussions of political rhetoric on immigration ⓘ |
| location | Birmingham NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mediaReaction | widespread condemnation in national press ⓘ |
| metaphorSource | Virgil's Aeneid NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partyLeaderResponse | Edward Heath condemned the speech NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| perceivedAs |
racist speech
ⓘ
warning about mass immigration ⓘ |
| politicalConsequence | dismissal of Enoch Powell from the Shadow Cabinet ⓘ |
| politicalPartyOfSpeaker | Conservative Party (UK) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| speaker | Enoch Powell NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| subjectOf |
documentaries on British race relations
ⓘ
historical analyses of the Conservative Party ⓘ numerous academic studies ⓘ |
| timePeriod | late 1960s Britain ⓘ |
| topic |
British nationality and citizenship
ⓘ
Commonwealth immigration ⓘ Immigration from the New Commonwealth ⓘ immigration to the United Kingdom ⓘ integration of immigrants ⓘ race relations in the United Kingdom ⓘ |
| usedMetaphor | rivers of blood ⓘ |
| venue | Midland Hotel, Birmingham NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| warnedOf |
breakdown of social cohesion
ⓘ
future violence ⓘ racial conflict ⓘ social unrest ⓘ |
| year | 1968 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.