AN important anniversary looms. I was alerted to it by a Netflix series, part of which is set in what appears to be Cable Street.

Cable Street was so-called because of its association with cables destined for ships anchored nearby in the Pool of London. Cable Street was ‘a ropewalk’. It was divided into sections, one of which was Knock Fergus. 

Knock Fergus! Apparently that’s an old name for Carrickfergus in County Antrim. (You may be interested to know that Knocksoghey is on the way from Ballintoy to Carrick-a-Rede. Have you been?)

That’s not why Cable Street is so famous, of course. A plaque tells us “The people of East London rallied to Cable Street on the 4th of October 1936 and forced back the march of the fascist Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirts through the streets of the East End. ‘They shall not pass’.”

Mosley modelled himself on his hero, Mussolini. I don’t know if any of the thousands of Blackshirts wore balaclavas but I wouldn’t be surprised, given their violent, bullying behaviour. One ‘Daily Mail’ headline was ‘Hurrah for the Blackshirts’. Nice.

When news of Mosley’s planned march into the heart of the Jewish community was noised abroad, people got organised. The Communist Party, Irish Dockers, trade unionists (Of course!) and Jewish people united, chanting ‘They shall not pass!’ They didn’t, though barricades, glass and marbles on the road surface, strategically-placed trams and sheer numbers were required.

The fascists did not pass.

Definitions of fascism vary, but generally it’s accepted to mean extreme nationalism, totalitarianism, scapegoating (blaming marginalised groups for economic problems).

The Holocaust Museum has listed the early signs which include disdain for human rights, rampant sexism, suppression of labour power, fraudulent elections and cronyism. 

We can see quite a few of those early signs. We can learn from those Cable Street heroes. Our eyes must be wide open. They shall not pass.