Kevin Gately

Kevin Gately (18 September 1953 – 15 June 1974) was a second year student of mathematics at the University of Warwick who died as a result of head injuries received in the Red Lion Square disorders in London. He was the first person to die in a public demonstration in Great Britain for at least 55 years, since the British Army shot two looters dead in Liverpool during the riots associated with a police strike in August 1919.

Gately was born in England to parents of Irish descent. He had red hair and was approximately 6' 9" tall; contemporary photos show him standing out above the crowd because of his exceptional height. He became a mathematics student at Warwick University, and was in his second year in June 1974, three months before his 21st birthday.

He was not a member of any political group or party, and had no experience of demonstrations before Red Lion Square, although he was aware of the nature of the demonstration against the National Front and wished to take part. His girlfriend also attended the demonstration.

The Red Lion Square disorders arose from a counter-demonstration against a National Front march through the West End of London to a meeting at Conway Hall, in the north east corner of Red Lion Square in Bloomsbury near Holborn tube station, on Saturday 15 June 1974.

The National Front had been formed in 1967, and by 1974 its racist policies were gathering some electoral support, with the National Front winning 10 per cent of the vote in some areas of London, particularly where unemployment was high. The National Front march and meeting on 15 June 1974 was itself a protest against the Labour government's proposal to grant an amnesty to illegal immigrants. The National Front planned a march from Westminster Hall, handing in a petition as they passed Downing Street, to their meeting in Conway Hall. The National Front had been using Conway Hall for meetings during the previous four years, but anti-fascist pickets began in October 1973. On 15 June 1974, they planned a meeting entitled "Stop immigration - start repatriation".

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