Storming of Connolly House (1933)
Connolly House, during an occupation by housing activists in 2022 [via @StreetlinkBAC on Twitter]

On this day in 1933, a crowd of 5,000-6,000 Catholic anti-communists stormed and burned the Connolly House in Dublin, the headquarters of the Communist Party. Attempts were also made to attack the Workers' College in Eccles Street and the Workers Union of Ireland office in Marlborough Street.

The Connolly House had been under siege for multiple days, and the incident was part of a larger series of events where anti-communist crowds attacked Dublin buildings associated with the far left.

The Catholic Church played a key role in fostering this anti-communist sentiment. In October 1931, the Church stated "You cannot be a Catholic and a Communist. One stands for Christ, the other for Anti-Christ". In his Lenten pastoral for 1933, the Bishop of Kildare warned his congregation "be prepared to fight...There is no reason why anyone who undertakes to propagate Communism should be allowed do so".