The Battle of Cable Street was a major anti-fascist confrontation that took place on 4 October 1936 in London’s East End, around Cable Street.
A march by the British Union of Fascists, led by Oswald Mosley, planned to move through a largely Jewish and working-class area. Many local residents—including Jewish groups, trade unionists, Irish dockworkers, socialists, communists, and other anti-fascists—opposed the march.
Tens of thousands of protesters blocked the streets with barricades, furniture, and overturned vehicles while clashing with police, who were trying to clear a route for the fascists. The crowd’s famous slogan was “They shall not pass” (adapted from the Spanish anti-fascist movement).
Racism, resistance and the making of a community: A history of struggle in London’s east End
By Jalal Rajonuddin
Jalal was a founder member of the Bangladeshi Youth Movement (BYM) in the 1970s, which led the fight against the National Front. He is also a member of the Altab Ali Foundation.
In the East End of London, extremes have always lived side by side. Within walking distance of the City of London — the richest square mile in the country — generations of working‑class people, migrants, and refugees have endured poverty, overcrowding, and exclusion. Yet this same area has also produced some of the most powerful examples of community solidarity and anti‑racist resistance in modern British history.
Migration, Inequality and the Roots of Division
For more than a century, the East End has been shaped by waves of migration. Jewish refugees fleeing fascism in Europe, workers from former British colonies, and later Bangladeshi migrants escaping poverty and political turmoil all found themselves in the same overcrowded neighbourhoods. They arrived with hope, but also into hardship.
Many migrant workers were funnelled into the lowest‑paid jobs — factory work, textiles, restaurant kitchens — roles that kept the British economy running but offered little security. Housing was often dilapidated, damp, and dangerously overcrowded. Public services were inadequate.
They also faced racism from sections of the local white working class who, instead of challenging the elite classes who controlled wealth and resources, blamed migrants for their own deprivation.
This pattern — scapegoating the visible poor instead of confronting the powerful — has been a recurring feature of British political life.
“No Jews, No Irish, No Blacks”: The 1930s and the Battle of Cable Street
In the 1930s, Jewish refugees became the primary targets of the British Union of Fascists (BUF), led by Oswald Mosley — a figure whose rhetoric resembles today’s right‑wing populists. Jewish workers in the garment and weaving sweatshops of Whitechapel faced daily intimidation and violence.
Mosley’s Blackshirts attempted to march through the East End on 4th October 1936, intending to terrorise the Jewish community. But the local community — Jews, Irish dockers, communists, trade unionists, and local residents — united under the slogan “They Shall Not Pass.”
Their victory in the Battle of Cable Street became a defining moment in British anti‑fascist history.
Powellism, the National Front and the Rise of Violent Racism
By the 1960s, the far right had found a new champion in Conservative MP Enoch Powell. His infamous “Rivers of Blood” speech in 1968 legitimised open hostility toward Asian and Black migrants. Instead of challenging Powell’s racism, the political establishment largely remained silent.
The consequences were immediate. Britain entered the era of “Paki‑bashing”, with violent attacks on Asian communities becoming widespread.
In the 1970s, the National Front (NF) — led by Martin Webster and John Tyndall — established its headquarters in Hoxton. Their propaganda targeted the growing British‑Bangladeshi community, particularly in Spitalfields and Brick Lane. Skinhead gangs attacked Bengalis in the streets, workplaces, and even in their homes. Police often sided with the perpetrators.
Historical records, including Blood on the Streets by Dan Jones and documentation by the Race Today Collective, reveal the scale of this violence.
The Murder of Altab Ali and the Turning Point of 1978
The racist murder of Altab Ali in May 1978 marked a watershed moment. His killing symbolised the violence faced by Bengalis in the East End — alongside the murders of Ishaq Ali, Michael Ferreira, Kenneth Singh, and the burning of the Khan family home.
On 11 May 1978, ten thousand British‑Bengalis marched from St Mary’s Churchyard (now Altab Ali Park) to Hyde Park and Downing Street, carrying a symbolic coffin. Their slogans echoed across London:
“Enough is Enough”
“Here to Stay, Here to Fight”
“Black and White Unite and Fight”
This was the beginning of the Battle of Brick Lane, a year‑long resistance movement that included daily community patrols, support for victims of racist attacks, sit-down protests and street blockages and direct confrontation with the NF.
Eventually, the NF were forced to close their Hoxton headquarters and abandon their regular stalls in Brick Lane.
Recognition, Representation and a New Chapter
The scale of Bengali mobilisation forced the British establishment to acknowledge the community’s existence. The Home Affairs Select Committee launched an inquiry into the needs and aspirations of British‑Bangladeshis.
Political leaders like Ken Livingstone and even King Charles (then Prince of Wales) began engaging with the community. Regeneration funding, improved public services, and greater political participation followed.
A new chapter had begun — but the struggle was far from over.
From Thatcher to Brexit: Racism Repackaged
Margaret Thatcher’s 1978 claim that Britain was being “swamped by people of different cultures” normalised racist language at the highest levels of government. Decades later, Brexit revived similar narratives. Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage weaponised migration to win political power, making promises that never materialised. The multiple failures of the political establishment have led to a cost-of-living crisis, rising racial tension, an emboldened far-right and racist street violence, often stoked by false information on social media.
Yet the majority has repeatedly mobilised against hatred, showing that community resistance remains alive.
The New Politics of Division
Today, populist right-wing forces — from Reform UK to Tommy “Robinson” — are funded by wealthy interests who benefit from division. Some politicians of Asian and Black heritage have aligned themselves with right‑wing agendas, acting as spokespeople for policies that harm the very communities they come from.
Meanwhile, mainstream media platforms amplify far‑right narratives while ignoring mass anti‑racist mobilisations.
A Broken System and the Need for Change
The collapse of the traditional two‑party system, as seen in recent local and devolved elections, suggests that Britain may need a more pluralistic, proportional political system. Such a system could better represent diverse communities and reduce the dominance of elite interests.
At the same time, global inequality, conflict, and climate change continue to drive migration. Without a fairer international economic order — one without veto powers, exploitative trade systems, and resource hoarding — displacement will continue.
Returning to the East End: The Struggle Continues
Despite decades of resistance, the establishment still relies on division, greed, and the manipulation of public opinion to maintain the status quo. But the spirit of Cable Street and Brick Lane endures.
Just as previous generations stood firm against fascism, today’s communities must continue to resist racism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hatred. The East End’s history teaches us that solidarity is not only possible — it is powerful.
Email;jalal59@btinternet.com