The Battle of Cable Street was a series of clashes that took place at several locations in the inner

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

, most notably Cable Street, on Sunday 4 October 1936. It was a clash between the

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

, sent to protect a

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...

by members of the

British Union of Fascists The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a British fascist political party formed in 1932 by Oswald Mosley. Mosley changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936 and, in 1937, to the British Union. In 1939, f ...

led by Oswald Mosley, and various ''de jure'' and ''de facto''

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers wer ...

demonstrators, including local

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

ists, communists, anarchists,

British Jews British Jews (often referred to collectively as British Jewry or Anglo-Jewry) are British citizens who identify as Jewish. The number of people who identified as Jews in the United Kingdom rose by just under 4% between 2001 and 2021. History ...

and

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

groups. The anti-fascist counter-demonstration included both organised and unaffiliated participants.

Background

The

(BUF) had advertised a march to take place on Sunday 4 October 1936, the fourth anniversary of their organisation. Thousands of BUF followers, dressed in their Blackshirt uniform, intended to march through the heart of the East End (an area which then had a large

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

population). The BUF would march from Tower Hill and divide into four columns, each heading for one of four open air public meetings where Mosley and others would address gatherings of BUF supporters: * Salmon Lane, Limehouse at 5pm * Stafford Road, Bow at 6pm * Victoria Park Square,

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By ...

at 6pm * Aske Street,

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an imp ...

at 6:30pm The Jewish People's Council organised a petition, calling for the march to be banned, which gathered the signature of 100,000 East Londoners, including the Mayors of the five East London Boroughs ( Hackney,

, Stepney,

and Poplar) in two days. Home Secretary John Simon denied the request to outlaw the march.

Numbers involved

Very large numbers of people took part in the events, in part due to the good weather, but estimates of the numbers of participants vary enormously: * Estimates of Fascist participants range from 2,000–3,000 up to 5,000.East London Advertiser – reproduced in * There were 6,000-7,000 policemen, including many

mounted police Mounted police are police who patrol on horseback or camelback. Their day-to-day function is typically picturesque or ceremonial, but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and increasingly in t ...

. The Police had wireless vansEast London Advertiser – reproduced in and a spotter planeEast London Advertiser – reproduced in sending updates on crowd numbers and movements to Sir Philip Game's HQ, established on a side street by Tower Hill.East London Advertiser – reproduced in * Estimates of the number of anti-fascist counter-demonstrators range from 100,000 to 250,000, 300,000, 310,000 or more.

Events

The fascists began to gather at Tower Hill from approximately 2:00 p.m., there were clashes between fascists and anti-fascists at Tower Hill and

Mansell Street Mansell Street is a street in East London, which is part of the London Inner Ring Road. For most of its length from the north, this street marks the boundary between the City of London and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. However, the southern ...

as they did so, while the anti-fascists also temporarily occupied the

Minories Minories ( ) is the name of a small former administrative unit, and also of a street in central London. Both the street and the former administrative area take their name from the Abbey of the Minoresses of St. Clare without Aldgate. Both are ...

. The BUF set up a casualty dressing station in the Tower Hill area, as did their

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

and Communist opponents who each had a dressing station.East London Advertiser – reproduced in The main confrontation took place around Gardiner's

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appe ...

in Whitechapel. Protesters built a number of barricades on narrow ''Cable Street'' and its side streets. The main barricade was by the junction with ''Christian Street'', about 300 metres along ''Cable Street'' in the St George in the East area of Wapping. The Police attempts to take and remove the barricades were resisted in hand-to-hand fighting and also by missiles, including rubbish, rotten vegetables and the contents of chamber pots were thrown at the police by women in houses along the street. Mosley arrived in an open topped black sports car, escorted by Blackshirt motorcyclists, just before 3:30. By this time, his force had formed up in Royal Mint Street and neighbouring streets into a column nearly half a mile long, and was ready to proceed. However, the police, fearing more severe disorder if the march and meetings went ahead, instructed Mosley to leave the East End, though the BUF were permitted to march in the West End instead. The BUF event finished in Hyde Park. About 150 demonstrators were arrested, although some escaped with the help of other demonstrators. Around 175 people were injured including police, women and children.

Aftermath

The anti-fascists were delighted by their success in preventing the march, and by the unity of the community response, in which very large numbers of East-Enders of all backgrounds resisted Mosley. The event is frequently cited by modern Antifa movements as "...the moment at which British fascism was decisively defeated". The Fascists presented themselves as the law-abiding party who were denied free speech by a weak government and police force in the face of mob violence. After the event the BUF experienced an increase in membership, although their activity in Britain was severely limited. Following the battle, the Public Order Act 1936 outlawed the wearing of political uniforms and forced organisers of large meetings and demonstrations to obtain police permission. Many of the arrested demonstrators reported harsh treatment at the hands of the police.

Notable participants

British Union of Fascists

Sir Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...

Tommy Moran Thomas P. Moran was a leading member of the British Union of Fascists and a close associate of Oswald Mosley. Initially a miner, Moran later became a qualified engineer. He joined the Royal Air Force at 17 and later served in the Royal Naval Reserv ...

Metropolitan Police

* Sir Philip Game

Counter-demonstrators

Many leading British communists were present at the Battle of Cable Street, some of whom partially credited the battle for shaping their political beliefs. Some examples include: * Bill Alexander; communist and the commander of the International Brigade's British Battalion. * Fenner Brockway, Secretary of the Independent Labour Party. * Jack Comer, a gangster of Jewish heritage. * Father John Groser,

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

and prominent Christian socialist. * Gladys Keable; communist and the future children's editor of the ''Morning Star''. * Bill Keable; communist and the husband of Gladys Keable, who would become the ''Morning Star''s director. * Max Levitas, a Jewish Communist activist described by the ''Morning Star'' as the "last survivor of the Battle of Cable Street". * Betty Papworth, communist organizer and wife of Bert Papworth. * Phil Piratin, member of the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...

. * Alan Winnington; communist, journalist and war correspondent.

Commemoration

Between 1979 and 1983, a large mural depicting the battle was painted on the side of

St George's Town Hall St George's Town Hall, formerly known as Stepney Town Hall, and, before that, St George's Vestry Hall, is a municipal building on Cable Street, Stepney, London. It is a Grade II listed building. History In the mid-19th century the local vestry ...

. It stands in Cable Street, about west of Shadwell overground station. A red plaque in Dock Street commemorates the incident. Numerous events were planned in East London for the battle's 75th anniversary in October 2011, including music and a march, and the mural was once again restored. In 2016, to mark the battle's 80th anniversary, a march took place from

Altab Ali Park Altab Ali Park is a small park on Adler Street, White Church Lane and Whitechapel Road, London E1. Formerly known as St Mary's Park, it is the site of the old 14th-century white church, St Mary Matfelon, from which the area of Whitechapel g ...

to Cable Street. The march was attended by some of those who were originally involved.

In popular culture

* The Arnold Wesker play '' Chicken Soup with Barley'' depicts an

Jewish family on the day of the Battle of Cable Street. * British folk punk band The Men They Couldn't Hang relate the battle in their 1986 song "Ghosts of Cable Street". * The 2010 BBC revival of the '' Upstairs Downstairs'' series devotes an episode to the Battle of Cable Street. *The incident is depicted in the 2012 novel '' Winter of the World'' by Welsh-born author Ken Follett. *The song "Cable Street" by English folk trio The Young'uns tells the story of the confrontation from the perspective of a young anti-fascist fighter. *The song "Cable Street Again" by the Scottish black metal band Ashenspire references the Battle of Cable Street in its title and lyrics. *The book ''

Night Watch Night Watch or Nightwatch may refer to: Books * ''The Night Watch'', a 1977 memoir by Central Intelligence Agency officer David Atlee Phillips Novels * ''Night Watch'', a 1972 novel by American screenwriter Lucille Fletcher * ''Night Watch'', a 1 ...

'' by

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his '' Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first no ...

features a Battle of Cable Street.

References

External links

The Battle of Cable Street 80th anniversaryNews footage from the day
News reel from youtube.com
Video for the Ghosts of Cable Street by 'They Men They Couldn't Hang' set to images of the battleHistorical article by David Rosenberg linked to the 'battle's 75th anniversaryThe Battle of Cable Street
as told by the

Communist Party of Britain The Communist Party of Britain (CPB) is a communist party in Great Britain which emerged from a dispute between Eurocommunists and Marxist-Leninists in the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1988. It follows Marxist-Leninist theory and s ...

.
"Fascists and Police Routed at Cable Street"
a personal account of the battle by a participant.

Google Earth view of the junction of Cable Street and Christian Street as it is now

The Myth of Cable Street
on the

History Today ''History Today'' is an illustrated history magazine. Published monthly in London since January 1951, it presents serious and authoritative history to as wide a public as possible. The magazine covers all periods and geographical regions and pub ...

website
A police constable's account
– Tom Wilson was on duty at Cable Street {{DEFAULTSORT:Cable Street, Battle of 1936 in London 20th century in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Anti-fascism in the United Kingdom Antisemitic attacks and incidents in Europe Battles and conflicts without fatalities Fascism in England October 1936 events Political riots Race riots in England Racially motivated violence in England Riots and civil disorder in England Riots in London