On the Sunday, striking workers and their families gathered

On the Sunday, striking workers and their families gathered at six points in the city of St. Petersburg in Russia. They were organized and led by Father Gapon. Holding religious icons and singing hymns and patriotic songs (particularly "God Save the Tsar!"), a crowd of "more than 300,000"[1] proceeded without police interference towards the Winter Palace, the tsar's official residence. The army pickets near the palace released warning shots, and then fired directly into the crowds to disperse them. Gapon was fired upon near the Narva Gate. Around forty people surrounding him were killed, but he was not injured.[2] Although the tsar had not been present at the Winter Palace at this time, he received the blame for the deaths, resulting in a surge of bitterness towards himself and his autocratic rule from the Russian people. Although the main belief is that the protesters were unarmed, others[who?] believe that some of the protesters weilded guns and opened fire on the Imperial Troops guarding the Winter Palace[citation needed], which caused a retaliating volley of bullets to be fired into the vast number of protesters.

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