On this date 136 years ago

[echobeach]

"Montreal, Canada, September 28, 1885:
The by-law passed by the Provincial Board of Health making vaccination
compulsory having appeared in the Official Gazette increased the
excitement among the French Canadians to such an extent that a riot
broke out in the east end this morning, and before the crowd dispersed
they smashed many of the windows of the East End Health Office . . .
some 50 police had meantime arrived and drove the mob down the street,
but they immediately gathered on the Champ de Mars in the rear, where a
lively hand-to-hand conflict took place, but the rioters, when dispersed
at one place, immediately met at another and renewed the stone throwing,
and several of the police were wounded . . . the mob returned to the
house of Dr. Laporte, public vaccinator, and set fire to it . . . the
rioters proceeded once more to the East End Health Office, and easily
overpowered the five policemen who were on guard. The whole front of the
office was torn out and the smallpox placards and sulphur for
disinfecting houses were piled up in the middle of the street and set
fire to . . . The police then charged the crowd and drove them out to
the city limits. The clubs were plied with vigor and many of the rioters
were badly cut about the head."

From *Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and the Forgotten
History* by Suzanne Humphries, MD and Roman Bystrianyk:
https://ca1lib.org/book/2826395/74094e