The ‘Battle’ of Cable Street which took place on the 4 October 1936 has become the defining myth of the East End of London and of the left, memorialised thereafter as the defeat of Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirts amid the cries of ‘They shall not pass!’
How did this enduring mythology arise, what was the nature of East End radicalism, what role did the police play, what were the origins of fascism and what happened after the events?
Professor Emeritus, Clive Bloom will investigate the British radical tradition between the wars and set Cable Street in the context of contemporary ideological conflict.