Monday 10 August 2020

Cable Street Mural

 On a plaque next to the mural is the following information:
 On the 4th October 1936 the people of the East End halted a march by fascists in what has gone down in history as 'The Battle of Cable Street'. People from the Jewish community, communists, trade unionists, Labour Party members, Irish dockers and labourers joined forces to oppose the march through Stepney planned by Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists (BUF) and thousands of his followers known as 'Blackshirts'. Their uniforms echoed their counterparts in Italy and Germany.
The planned route was through an impoverished area with a high concentration of Jewish residents and was seen as a deliberate act of provocation. The government of the day refused the request by Jewish local and community groups to ban the march and on the day over 250,000 East Londoners took to the street to bar the way to British fascism. The Spanish Civil War had begun a few months earlier and opposition to Mosley's Blackshirts was seen as the same struggle as that being fought by the Spanish Republicans against Franco's German and Italian backed Nationalists. The slogan used by the Republicans in the defence of Madrid was adopted at the barricades in Cable Street - They shall not pass ( No pasaran).

The ensuing action ensured that Mosley's marchers were turned back and political history was made. One resulting legacy was the Public Order Act of 1936, banning the wearing of political uniforms in public. More importantly, on the day, the fascists did not pass and the people of the EastEnd played a crucial role in the defeat of organised British Fascism for decades to come.

 The battle is well documented. More information can be found at www.cablestreet.uk There was a lot of violence that day aimed at the police who were given the task of allowing the march to take place. There were 79 anti-fascist men and women arrested, many of them severely beaten by police. In contrast just five fascists were arrested.






The mural is painted on the side wall of St George's town hall and was started in 1976 by Dave Binnington. Due to several acts of vandalism he was unable to complete the project. The work was finally completed by three other artists: Paul Butler, Ray Walker and Desmond Rochfort in 1983. It was restored in 2011.


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17 comments:

  1. Hello,

    What a sombering mural. It seems like the reversed should have happened, with more fascists being arrested. Take care, enjoy your day! Have a great week!

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  2. I had not heard of that mural before or of the Eastenders pushing against Mosley. That is a great motto, They shall not pass. I read a book about the Mitford sisters, one of them was married to Mosley, awful choice! Bravo East Enders, also the name of my favorite TV series.

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  3. Interesting read! It seems there is no era where we are NOT challenged to stand together against injustices and people seeking to divide.

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  4. Fascinating! I had never heard of this before your post. Thank you for educating me. I will need to read more about this period. :-)

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  5. There is so much detail and history in this mural. I’m glad to see it has been restored to remind us how easily similar things can happen, even in our world today.

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  6. I enjoyed reading and learned something new.

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  7. Thank you for sharing these amazing murals.

    All the best Jan

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  8. It's a good and detailed work. I think we can guess the leanings of those who damaged the work in progress.

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  9. You always find the most interesting buildings/murals. Good on the Easteneders I say! (My dad was one)

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  10. I spent a lot of time, anxiety and ink worrying about the Battle of Cable St, having read everything that was eventually written since 1936. But I didn't say much about the mural because the Fascists were determined to destroy it.

    So many thanks to you

    Hels
    The Very Ugly Side of British Fascism, 1936
    Art and Architecture, mainly

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  11. Interesting. It never ceases to amaze me the knowledge we regain from studying history,

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  12. Together. That's the word that resonates most for me. Together. Together they stood against the fascists and together they made a mural about that event.

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  13. Powerful message. History sadly seems bent on repeating itself over on this side of the pond as our so-called president sends in unwanted federal troops to a city near us. And in other ways ignoring our constitution .

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  14. That's a real masterpiece of history ! Very interesting ! So far we have avoided to go to Brussels, but things may change today there will be new rules to wear masks and to go out etc etc ! I think we are all fed up ! One day they will be a general explosion ! Ilona (you met her with me) thinks that's what they are waiting for to clean the world ! We are too many people. I don't think anymore ! Fortunately I am happy in the new apartment !

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