Battle of Cable Street

Battle of Cable Street
Flyer distributed by the London Communist Party
Date	4 October 1936
Location	Cable Street, East End of London, United Kingdom
Causes	Opposition to a fascist march through East London
Result	Fascist march called off
Parties to the civil conflict
British Union of Fascists (Blackshirts) Anti-fascists Communists Socialists Anarchists British Jews Irish dockers Independent Labour Party Metropolitan Police
Lead figures
Oswald Mosley Phil Piratin Philip Game
Number
3,000 20,000 6,000
Casualties
Injuries	~175
Arrested	~150

Anti-fascists

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, protecting a march by members of the British Union of Fascists, led by Oswald Mosley, and various anti-fascist demonstrators, including local Jewish, Irish, socialist, anarchist 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, which then had a large Jewish population.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews denounced the march as anti-semitic and urged Jewish people to stay away. The Communist Party of Great Britain, under the leadership of Phil Piratin, led the opposition forces. 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.