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The purpose of the protest was to raise attention to the struggle of women and remove the "grille", a piece of ironwork placed in the Ladies' Gallery that obscured their view of parliamentary proceedings. [10] Matters was at the heart of the protest at this symbol of women's oppression. [2]
A committed pacifist, in April 1915 Muriel organised a peace conference and helped form an organisation called Women Mobilising for Peace. She became the secretary of the British Committee of the International Council of Women, which was organising a peace conference in the Hague.
- Avoiding Arrest in 'The Air'
- 'Shouting and Proclaiming Votes For Women'
- 'The Sort of Thing We Were Up Against'
A few years after her arrival in London, Muriel made international headlines when she climbed aboard an airship emblazoned with the slogan "Votes for Women". Members of the movement had been threatened with arrest if they were caught handing out leaflets as the king drove to open parliament. "They had this brilliant idea that if they can't take to ...
In 1908 Muriel became the first woman to speak in the British House of Commons. But she hadn't been invited to speak. Instead, she chained herself to the grille that obscured women's views of proceedings at London's Houses of Parliament and addressed the assembledpoliticians. "This grille was seen as a symbol of the separation that women experience...
Muriel also took part in a three-month 'Votes for Women' caravan tour around the UK. She used her acting skills to spread the message of the Women's Freedom League in town centres. "The police surrounded the stage on many occasions and she'd speak from the back of a cart or on a town statue," Wainwright says. There are references of up to 3,000 peo...
- Sophie Kesteven
Based in Britain from 1905 till her death, Matters is best known for her work on behalf of the Women’s Freedom League (WFL) during the height of the militant struggle to enfranchise women in the United Kingdom. Matters was an extremely prominent member of a critical mass of people agitating for women’s suffrage.
Oct 22, 2015 · As a pacifist Muriel lectured during the First World War against the ‘evils of war’ and was a candidate for her local seat of Hastings in 1924 where she continued to be an active member of her local community until her death in 1969 age 92. Find out more…
Muriel Matters spent her life campaigning ceaselessly on behalf of others, and lost none of her controversial spark or daring. She undertook several lecture tours of her home nation of Australia, advocating for prison reform, equal pay for equal work, and discussing her various exploits.
Both in Adelaide and Perth Muriel Matters was influenced by European friends who imbued her with socialist ideals. In 1905 she left for London where Peter, Prince Kropotkin, Russian revolutionary anarchist, and the journalist W. T. Stead encouraged her to further radical activity.
