Troops guarding the Winter Palace before the arrival of Russian workers, marching to hand in a protest to Czar Nicolas II. Around 300 strikers, led by Father Gapon, attended a peaceful protest outside the palace in order to petition Czar Nicholas II about poor working conditions and low wages. Troops opened fire on the demonstrators resulting in over 100 fatalities. January 17th 1905 became known as Red Sunday and was universally regarded as a precursor to the Russian Revolution of 1917.