The Battle of Cable Street, 4th October 1936
On the 4th of October 1936, a quarter of a million people filled the streets of London's East End to prevent the British fascist leader, Oswald Mosley, from marching 5000 uniformed Blackshirts through the predominantly Jewish Borough of Stepney. A new audio documentary series shares previously-unheard interviews with those who experienced the Battle, and the rise of antisemitic violence that preceded it.Featuring: Bill Fishman, Max Levitas, Aubrey Morris, Beatty Orwell and Jack Standford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
'If you do nothing, you'll end up in a concentration camp.'
On the 22nd of March 1936, the British Fascist leader Oswald Mosley held a rally at The Albert Hall where he said it was ‘the intention of British Fascism to challenge and break forever the power of the Jews in Britain.’ In London's East End, Jews and Jewish businesses were subjected to violent attacks. But the anti-fascist resistance was also building support. On the 26th of September, the BUF announced a plan to march through the East End on October 4th. This is the true story of The Battle of Cable Street, told by some of those who experienced it firsthand: Bill...
'Same as they say now, "They're taking our jobs"'
By 1932, Oswald Mosley had already served as a Conservative, Independent and Labour MP, before quitting Labour when they rejected his plan to tackle unemployment,
He founded the New Party, which stood 25 candidates at the 1931 General Election, but won no seats, with all but two of its candidates polling less than 5%.
In October 1932, Mosley founded The British Union of Fascists. The BUF attempted to build a national following, projecting itself as an anti-establishment force and calling for ‘decisive action’. The party focused on the areas worst affected by the Great Depression, including the East End. The fasc...
'You pulled the bed away from the wall, and the bugs pulled it back.'
On the fourth of October 1936, a quarter of a million people took to the streets of East London to oppose an attempt by the British Fascist leader, Oswald Mosley, to march 5000 of his blackshirts through the predominantly Jewish Borough of Stepney. The planned fascist march, with its show of paramilitary force, was the latest manifestation of a long campaign of antisemitic terror.
Between 1880 and 1914, the Jewish community in London grew significantly. Jews whose homes had been swallowed up by the expanding Russian Empire had experienced growing repression and discrimination for a century. While state-sanctioned antisemitic violence had...
