Hippodrome becomes site of public protest

On October 31, 1909, the hippodrome in Villars became the scene of a significant public protest when frustrated spectators broke barriers and flooded the tracks to demand refunds for their tickets to the Saint-Etienne meeting.

Law enforcement intervenes to restore order

Faced with the chaotic situation and the rising anger of the crowd, law enforcement had to act quickly to try to restore order and prevent further escalation of the unrest.

Aviation event deemed a failure

The unrest followed a weekend of aviation events that were considered a failure, as no successful flights were achieved during the competitions.

Disappointing spectacle on previous day

Already, the previous day, on Saturday, October 30, the event had been disappointing. Many attendees had come to see the achievements of famous aviators such as De Nabat, Gobron, and Vincent, but only Gobron attempted to take off, ending up damaging his airplane.

No successful flight on second day

Although the program included distance and height competitions and was described as rich in events, no successful flight was achieved on this second day of competition, which led to the public uprising.