"Rivers of Blood" redirects here. For other uses, see River of Blood (disambiguation).
Enoch Powell (1912–1998)
The "Rivers of Blood" speech was made by British Member of Parliament (MP) Enoch Powell on 20 April 1968, to a meeting of the Conservative Political Centre in Birmingham, England. His speech made various remarks, which included strong criticism of significant Commonwealth immigration to the United Kingdom and the proposed Race Relations Act, which made it illegal to refuse housing, employment, or public services to a person on the grounds of colour, race, ethnic or national origins in the country. It became known as the "Rivers of Blood" speech, although Powell always referred to it as "the Birmingham speech". The former name alludes to a prophecy from Virgil's Aeneid which Powell, a former classical scholar, quoted:
As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding; like the Roman, I seem to see 'the River Tiber foaming with much blood'.[1]
The speech caused a political storm, making Powell one of the most talked about and divisive politicians in the country; it led to his controversial dismissal from the Shadow Cabinet by Conservative Party Leader Edward Heath.[2] According to most accounts, the popularity of Powell's perspective on immigration may have been a decisive factor in the Conservatives' surprise victory in the 1970 general election, although he became one of the most persistent opponents of the subsequent Heath government.[2][3]
^Heffer 1998, p. 449; the line in Virgil is Aen. VI, 87: [et] Thybrim multo spumantem sanguine cerno.
^ abMcLean 2001, pp. 129–130
^Heffer 1998, p. 568
and 24 Related for: Rivers of Blood speech information
The "RiversofBlood" speech was made by British Member of Parliament (MP) Enoch Powell on 20 April 1968, to a meeting of the Conservative Political Centre...
the age of 91, 19 years after her husband. Powell delivered his RiversofBloodspeech on 20 April 1968. A poll which was taken after the speech reported...
incidents of racism in the Conservative Party since at least 1964. Conservative shadow defence minister Enoch Powell's "RiversofBlood" speech in 1968...
of Blood, an adventure module in the Greyhawk campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons RiversofBloodspeech by Enoch Powell in 1968 "RiversofBlood" speech...
'RiversofBlood' speech", 12 Dec 2007 Text of the Act as originally enacted (PDF) from the Office of Public Sector Information. 50th Anniversary of the...
affected Britain, using Enoch Powell's 1968 RiversofBloodspeech as a starting point (7 to 21 April 2008) The Vicar of Baghdad, TV documentary ITV1 (2008) Pakistan's...
1968 RiversofBloodspeech when Powell quoted Virgil's Aeneid: "As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding; like the Roman, I seem to see the River Tiber...
of the United States. In September 2023, Hall was reported to have liked a tweet that praised Enoch Powell (who gained fame for his RiversofBlood speech)...
Chris Hannan's play What Shadows about Enoch Powell's famous "RiversofBlood" speech on immigration. This was performed at the Birmingham Rep, Edinburgh...
1968 – English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial "RiversofBlood" speech. 1968 – South African Airways Flight 228 crashes near the Hosea...
Powell during a show in July 2009, describing Powell (whose 1968 RiversofBloodspeech had attracted controversy) as "the best Prime Minister this country...
75% of the population were sympathetic to Enoch Powell's views expressed in his RiversofBloodspeech. An NOP poll showed that approximately 75% of the...
of anyone ranting at the world in general, and has even found its way into politics; Oswald Mosley dismissing Enoch Powell after his RiversofBlood speech...
MP who was dismissed from the shadow cabinet in 1968 for his "RiversofBlood" speech opposing mass immigration, announces his resignation from the Conservative...
his own account, was a member of the National Front for a period after Enoch Powell's April 1968 "RiversofBlood" speech. In the early 1970s, Tomlinson's...
the British Conservative politician Enoch Powell in his 1968 "RiversofBlood" speech.[citation needed] In a 2002 column for The Daily Telegraph, Boris...
year of two major events in global and British race relations: the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr and Enoch Powell's "RiversofBlood" speech. Runnymede...
anti-immigration "riversofblood" speech in April 1968: "Clearly, the arrival of so many people of non-Christian faith has presented a challenge, as so many of us,...
"fifth column" of Islamic extremists in the United Kingdom. Farage has said that the "basic principle" of Enoch Powell's 'Riversofblood' speech was correct:...
made a declaration of support for former Conservative minister Enoch Powell (known for his anti-immigration RiversofBloodspeech) at a concert in Birmingham...
by the then Tory leader Edward Heath following his controversial RiversofBloodspeech in which he predicted mass civil unrest if Commonwealth immigration...
Global Information