Battle of Cable Street
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Cable Street took place on Sunday 4 October 1936 in Cable Street
in the East End of London
. It was a clash between the Metropolitan Police
, overseeing a march by the British Union of Fascists
, led by Oswald Mosley
, and anti-fascists, including local Jewish, socialist, anarchist, Irish
and communist
groups. The majority of both marchers and counter-protesters travelled into the area for this purpose. Mosley planned to send thousands of marchers dressed in uniforms styled on those of Blackshirts
through the East End of London
, which had a large Jewish population.
denounced the march as anti-semitic and urged Jewish people to stay well away. The Communist Party of Great Britain
, under the leadership of Phil Piratin
, led the opposition on the day.
Piratin's role was widely recognised by local people. The following year he became the first Communist to be elected to Stepney Borough Council. In 1945, he was elected as a Communist MP for Mile End
.
Despite the strong likelihood of violence, the government refused to ban the march and a large escort of police was provided in an attempt to prevent anti-fascist protestors disrupting the march.
Over 10,000 police, including 4,000 on horseback, attempted to clear the road to permit the march to proceed. The demonstrators fought back with sticks, rocks, chair legs and other improvised weapons. Rubbish, rotten vegetables and the contents of chamber pot
s were thrown at the police by women in houses along the street. After a series of running battles, Mosley agreed to abandon the march to prevent bloodshed. The BUF marchers were dispersed towards Hyde Park
instead while the anti-fascists rioted with police. 150 demonstrators were arrested, although some escaped with the help of other demonstrators. Several members of the police were kidnapped by demonstrators. Around 175 people were injured including police, women and children.
and sentenced to 3 months of hard labour.
The event boosted domestic fascism and antisemitism and made life far more unpleasant for its Jewish victims.
The Battle of Cable Street was a major factor leading to the passage of the Public Order Act 1936
, which required police consent for political marches and forbade the wearing of political uniform
s in public. This is widely considered to be a significant factor in the BUF's political decline prior to World War II
.
In the 1980s
, a large mural depicting the battle was painted on the side of St. George's Town Hall. This building was originally the vestry hall for the area and later the town hall of Stepney Borough Council
. It stands in Cable Street
, about 150 yards (137.2 m) west of Shadwell underground station
. A red plaque in Dock Street commemorates the incident.
Steven Berkoff
's East (1975) includes a depiction of the event; an eponymous play commemorating the events was written by Simon Blumenfeld
and first performed in 1987; and in 2006 a short film was produced featuring a remembrance from a grandfather to his grandson.
The 2010 revival of BBC drama Upstairs Downstairs included several scenes of the Battle of Cable Street, although the drama wrongly suggested that Protesters and BUF actually clashed, verbally if not physically.
For the 75th Anniversary in October 2011, there are numerous events planned in East London, including music and a march. For these events, the Cable Street Mural is being restored.
Cable Street
Cable Street is a mile-long road in the East End of London, with several historic landmarks nearby, made famous by "the Battle of Cable Street" of 1936.-Location:Cable Street runs between the edge of The City and Limehouse:...
in the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
. It was a clash between the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
, overseeing a march by the British Union of Fascists
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
, led by Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
, and anti-fascists, including local Jewish, socialist, anarchist, Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
groups. The majority of both marchers and counter-protesters travelled into the area for this purpose. Mosley planned to send thousands of marchers dressed in uniforms styled on those of Blackshirts
Blackshirts
The Blackshirts were Fascist paramilitary groups in Italy during the period immediately following World War I and until the end of World War II...
through the East End of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which had a large Jewish population.
Background
The Board of Deputies of British JewsBoard of Deputies of British Jews
The Board of Deputies of British Jews is the main representative body of British Jews. Founded in 1760 as a joint committee of the Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jewish communities in London, it has since become a widely recognised forum for the views of the different sectors of the UK Jewish...
denounced the march as anti-semitic and urged Jewish people to stay well away. The Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
, under the leadership of Phil Piratin
Phil Piratin
Philip Piratin , known as Phil Piratin, was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain and one of their few Members of Parliament....
, led the opposition on the day.
Piratin's role was widely recognised by local people. The following year he became the first Communist to be elected to Stepney Borough Council. In 1945, he was elected as a Communist MP for Mile End
Mile End (UK Parliament constituency)
Mile End was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Mile End district of the East End of London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
.
Despite the strong likelihood of violence, the government refused to ban the march and a large escort of police was provided in an attempt to prevent anti-fascist protestors disrupting the march.
Events
The anti-fascist groups built roadblocks in an attempt to prevent the march from taking place. The barricades were constructed near the junction with Christian Street, towards the west end of this long street. An estimated 300,000 anti-fascist demonstrators turned out.Over 10,000 police, including 4,000 on horseback, attempted to clear the road to permit the march to proceed. The demonstrators fought back with sticks, rocks, chair legs and other improvised weapons. Rubbish, rotten vegetables and the contents of chamber pot
Chamber pot
A chamber pot is a bowl-shaped container with a handle, and often a lid, kept in the bedroom under a bed or in the cabinet of a nightstand and...
s were thrown at the police by women in houses along the street. After a series of running battles, Mosley agreed to abandon the march to prevent bloodshed. The BUF marchers were dispersed towards Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
instead while the anti-fascists rioted with police. 150 demonstrators were arrested, although some escaped with the help of other demonstrators. Several members of the police were kidnapped by demonstrators. Around 175 people were injured including police, women and children.
Aftermath
Many of the arrested demonstrators reported harsh treatment at the hands of the police. Most were charged with the minor offence of obstructing police and fined £5, but several of the ringleaders were found guilty of affrayAffray
In many legal jurisdictions related to English common law, affray is a public order offence consisting of the fighting of two or more persons in a public place to the terror of ordinary people...
and sentenced to 3 months of hard labour.
The Battle of Cable Street was a major factor leading to the passage of the Public Order Act 1936
Public Order Act 1936
The Public Order Act 1936 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed to control extremist political movements in the 1930s such as the British Union of Fascists ....
, which required police consent for political marches and forbade the wearing of political uniform
Political uniform
A number of political movements have involved their members wearing uniforms, typically as a way of showing their identity in marches and demonstrations...
s in public. This is widely considered to be a significant factor in the BUF's political decline prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, a large mural depicting the battle was painted on the side of St. George's Town Hall. This building was originally the vestry hall for the area and later the town hall of Stepney Borough Council
Stepney
Stepney is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in London's East End that grew out of a medieval village around St Dunstan's church and the 15th century ribbon development of Mile End Road...
. It stands in Cable Street
Cable Street
Cable Street is a mile-long road in the East End of London, with several historic landmarks nearby, made famous by "the Battle of Cable Street" of 1936.-Location:Cable Street runs between the edge of The City and Limehouse:...
, about 150 yards (137.2 m) west of Shadwell underground station
Shadwell railway station
Shadwell railway station was a railway station in the parish of St George in the East, London on the London and Blackwall Railway that is no longer open. It was situated 50 yards to the east of the present Shadwell station on the Docklands Light Railway, with the station entrance on Sutton Street...
. A red plaque in Dock Street commemorates the incident.
Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff is an English actor, writer and director. Best known for his performance as General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, he is typically cast in villanous roles, such as Lt...
's East (1975) includes a depiction of the event; an eponymous play commemorating the events was written by Simon Blumenfeld
Simon Blumenfeld
Simon Blumenfeld was a Jewish columnist, author, playwright, theatre critic, editor and communist.Although he described himself as Jewish, he was born to a family of Sicilian refugees, who eventually settled in Whitechapel, in the East End of London...
and first performed in 1987; and in 2006 a short film was produced featuring a remembrance from a grandfather to his grandson.
The 2010 revival of BBC drama Upstairs Downstairs included several scenes of the Battle of Cable Street, although the drama wrongly suggested that Protesters and BUF actually clashed, verbally if not physically.
For the 75th Anniversary in October 2011, there are numerous events planned in East London, including music and a march. For these events, the Cable Street Mural is being restored.
See also
- Christie Pits riot – a similar event that happened on August 16, 1933, in Toronto, Canada
- 6 February 1934 crisis6 February 1934 crisisThe 6 February 1934 crisis refers to an anti-parliamentarist street demonstration in Paris organized by far-right leagues that culminated in a riot on the Place de la Concorde, near the seat of the French National Assembly...
– another similar event which took place in Paris, France
External links
- News 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 battle
- Historical article by David Rosenberg linked to the 'battle's 75th anniversary
- The Battle of Cable Street as told by the Communist Party of BritainCommunist Party of BritainThe Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Great Britain. Although founded in 1988 it traces its origins back to 1920 and the Communist Party of Great Britain, and claims the legacy of that party and its most influential members Harry Pollitt and John Gollan as its...
. - "Fascists and Police Routed at Cable Street" a personal account of the battle by a participant.
- Cable Street and the Battle of Cable Street.
- Does Cable Street still matter?. BBC News Magazine, 4 October 2006
- The Battle of Cable Street: Myths and Realities – by Richard Price and Martin Sullivan; a leftist but non-CPGB perspective. Originally published in Workers News, March–April 1994.
- Virtual reality panorama photograph and mural information from the 70th anniversary celebrations, October 2006
- battleofcablestreet.org.uk 75th Anniversary Celebrations, July 2011
- cablestreet75.org.uk 75th Anniversary March and Rally, September 2011
- Hidden London: The real battle of Cable Street A filmed report about Cable Street, with witness account
From eastendtalking.org.uk
- Introduction to the Battle of Cable Street
- More on the Battle of Cable Street
- About the mural
- Large photo of the mural
From The Guardian newspaper
- The Guardian - Audrey Gillan - Day the East End said 'No pasaran' to Blackshirts, September 30th, 2006
- The Guardian - From The Archives - Fascist march stopped after disorderly scenes, October 5th, 1936
- Interview with witness William Fishman, aged 85. MP3 audio file
- Interview with witness Max Levitas, aged 91. MP3 audio file
From the BBC
- The Today Programme, BBC Radio 4, 4 October 2006. Interview with anti-fascist Aubrey Morris, who was present at the event and Nicholas Mosley, son of Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists. RealAudio stream
- BBC's Making History programme, portion on the Battle Of Cable Street begins at the 11:18 mark, and includes interview with a witness