Georgy Apollonovich Gapon

Georgy Apollonovich Gapon was a Russian Orthodox priest who became a prominent figure in the early 20th-century Russian Revolution of 1905. He was the leader of the Assembly of Russian Workingmen, a legal labor union formed by police agents to channel workers' grievances into economic demands rather than political ones.12

In January 1905, Gapon organized a peaceful demonstration of workers in St. Petersburg to present a petition to Emperor Nicholas II. The procession, carrying religious icons and portraits of the Tsar, marched toward the Winter Palace. However, the Tsar was not present, and troops opened fire on the unarmed demonstrators. This event, known as Bloody Sunday, resulted in over 100 deaths and hundreds wounded, igniting widespread strikes, uprisings, and mutinies across Russia, marking the beginning of the revolution.12