Brendan O’Neill
Spiked, Oct. 5, 2024
“… clearly, a judgement would need to be made before solidarity could be offered. Are these Jew Jews or Zionist Jews? Are they a little too proud of their Jewish identity, which might smack of Jewish chauvinism, and too supportive of Israel?”
Imagine if the Battle of Cable Street took place in 2024. Imagine if this celebrated clash between Jews and their working-class allies on one side, and a fascist movement on the other, were to blow up in 21st-century Britain. What would happen?
The actual Battle of Cable Street took place in the East End of London in 1936 – 88 years ago this week. It was a revolutionary uprising by Jews, leftists and workers against the threat posed by the British Union of Fascists. The BUF was founded by Oswald Mosley in 1932. Mosley had been a Conservative MP before crossing the floor of the House of Commons to join the Labour Party.
At the start of the 1930s, following a trip to Italy to meet Mussolini, he converted to the cause of fascism. And he won over many in high society. Leading journalists, a peer, friends of royalty and, notoriously, two of the aristocratic Mitford sisters joined his fascist crusade. One of the Mitfords – Diana – went the whole hog and married him, at the home of Joseph Goebbels in Berlin, with Adolf Hitler as guest of honour.
The people of the East End were rather less taken with Mosley’s Mussolini tribute act. And they let it be known when the BUF announced its intention to march through the East End on 4 October 1936. The East End had a large Jewish population then. The BUF’s planned parade, in which thousands of its backers would be on the streets in their Blackshirts, was viewed by many East Enders as an intolerable anti-Semitic provocation. So they decided to take action. Against the advice of both the Metropolitan Police and the Labour Party, who were concerned that a counter-demonstration to Mosley’s march would give rise to lawlessness, the workers of east London plotted their fightback. … [To read the full article, click here]
