Asiatic Exclusion League

ASIATIC EXCLUSION LEAGUE (AEL) was formed in VANCOUVER in Aug 1907. Initiated by the Trades and Labour Council, it had loose affiliations with the Japanese and Korean Exclusion League founded in San Francisco 2 years earlier. The initial meeting included labour leaders and prominent LIBERAL and CONSERVATIVE politicians. The AEL proposed a legislated end to all Asian immigration to Canada. A rally in support of the league was held on 7 Sept in Vancouver and it became a riot when thousands of hotheads marched through CHINATOWN and the JAPANESE district destroying property. When the Japanese fought back, the mob dispersed. Branches of the AEL formed in VICTORIA, NEW WESTMINSTER and N VANCOUVER, but it faded into inactivity by the end of 1908. The league was revived briefly in Vancouver during 1921–22.