The Water Riots took place in Port of Spain on 23 March 1903 in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, then a British colony. As a result of the riots, the Red House, which was the seat of the Executive and Legislative Council was destroyed. Around 1900, Trinidad had a high consumption of water. In 1874 the yearly water consumption per citizen was twice as high as in London. Following the building of national waterworks infrastructure, the Government passed an ordinance that increased the cost of water, enacting the installation of water meters in private homes. A number of public meetings had been held to protest the increase, culminating in a demonstration on 23 March in Brunswick Square, located outside the Red House. Protesters threw rocks at the building, smashing windows (including a historical stained glass window commemorating the arrival of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

) and causing members of the legislature to hide under tables for protection. The protesters then set the lower floor on fire, at which time police opened fire on the crowd, killing sixteen people, and injuring forty-two others (including two teenagers and one child). The fire completely gutted the Red House.

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