Massacre in the Rue Haxo

The Massacre in the Rue Haxo (French: le massacre de la rue Haxo) was a massacre of Christians perpetrated by the Communards from the Paris Commune during the bloody Semaine Sanglante of May 1871.[1][2][3][4][5]

Picture showing the hostages on the street Haxo where they were going to be executed.

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Execution of hostages in La Roquette Prison on 26 May. (image by Ernest-Charles Appert)

Background

Location of the massacre of rue Haxo (Eugène Atget)

Following the French revolution, the Communards wanted to restrict the clergy's rights.[1][2][5]

The Communards had the intention to confiscate Christians' goods, abolish religious education and make the church private citizens.[1][2][5]

Massacres

Planning

On 24 May, several hostages were brought into the courtyard of la Roquette Prison to be executed by a firing squad.[1][2][5]

Around 4 p.m. on 26 May, 52 prisoners, all of whom were part of the clergy, were brought to the jail's courtyard and then outside of the prison near the street de la Roquette. They were then transported to the street Haxo for public execution on a wooden pedestal. Citizens were given guns to kill them.[1][2][5]

Execution

The prisoners were gunned down by the Communard soldiers across several days, starting 24 May at 8 a.m.[6][7]

On 27 May, some of them attempted to escape; they were immediately killed.[6][7]

In total, 110 were killed, of whom 75 were clergy and 35 were soldiers.[6][7]

Aftermath

The soldiers kept an eye on the bodies during the entire night in case they were still alive. They then dug a hole and left them in it.[1]

References

admin (2020-05-25). "Le massacre de la rue Haxo". Histoires de Paris (in French). Retrieved 2021-06-04.
"Communiqué du diocèse de Paris - Célébration des 150 ans du martyre de la Rue Haxo". www.paris.catholique.fr (in French). Retrieved 2021-06-04.
"France to mark 150th anniversary of anti-religious Paris Commune – Our Sunday Visitor". osvnews.com. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
"France to mark 150th anniversary of anti-religious Paris Commune". Crux. 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
"Remembering the Catholic Martyrs of the Commune of Paris". NCR. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
Perny, Paul (1818-1907) Auteur du texte (1871). Deux mois de prison sous la Commune; suivi de détails authentiques sur l'assassinat de Mgr l'archevêque de Paris (3e éd.) / par Paul Perny,...
"Semaine sanglante : « À mort les calotins ! », le massacre des otages de la rue Haxo". Aleteia (in French). 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2021-06-04.