The Real Lessons of Cable Street

What the battle against the Blackshirts teaches us

On 4 October 1936 at Cable Street, a quarter of a million socialists and trade unionists fought the police – who were attempting to clear a path for the British Union of Fascists through a Jewish area of East London. As we confront our own far right threat 90 years on, what are the lessons we should learn?

1. The police and the state are not our friends.

More than 100,000 people signed a petition demanding the Home Secretary ban the BUF’s march. He refused. Instead, thousands of police officers were deployed to secure the Blackshirts’ route through the East End. After the battle, the Government panicked, rushing a Public Order Act through Parliament which restricted uniforms on marches - not only black fascist uniforms, but red socialist ones too! - and widely expanded state powers over all political demonstrations.

We should not demand ever greater powers for the state to decide who may protest: powers introduced against the far right can also be used against the left. Nor should we rely on the police to keep us safe. We need our own organised stewarding capable of defending our movement.

2. Fascism has to be defeated politically – not just on the streets.

The battle of Cable Street prevented a pogrom. But the BUF remained a prominent force, growing to 22,500 members in the run up to 1939.

Opposition was a long-term project: in the 1930s, local activists worked tirelessly amongst renters and the unemployed to build class unity through struggle against landlords and the rich, shifting the political terrain and offering alternatives to fascist scapegoating. We need the same today - and we can’t just call people racists. When they blame refugees, we blame the rich; when they call for detention centres, we call for homes.

3. The fight against the far right begins from below.

The TUC and the Labour Party told people to stay away from Cable Street. Even the Communist Party refused to endorse the counterdemo until the eleventh hour, when a rebellion of its membership forced the leadership to change tack. The mobilisation was almost entirely carried out by rank-and-file trade unionists, the Independent Labour Party and local Communists.

Just like then, we cannot wait for our national leaderships to lead the fight against fascism. We have to organise in our branches, trades councils and tenants unions.

If you agree, get involved with Trade Unions Fighting the Far Right.