It was an honour and privilege to attend a reception jointly organised by the London Jewish Forum and the Jewish Leadership Council to mark the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street which for British Jews symbolises part of a proud and longstanding history of fighting racism and fascism.
A brief historical background released by the London Jewish Forum states “On October 4th 1936, Jews alongside other minority and left-wing demonstrators took to the streets of London’s East End to stop Oswald Mosely and the British Union of Fascists (BUF) from marching through the heavily Jewish and immigrant area. The demonstrators were met by a strong police presence who tried to clear the way for the BUF members to pass through the area, but were eventually forced to stop the BUF instead due to the risk to public safety.”The day is now remembered as ‘The Battle of Cable Street’ and takes pride of place in London’s history signifying a day of solidarity and combating all forms of racism and antisemitism.
The reception after a rally took place, not far from the office of Asian Voice, at Shoreditch Town Hall on last Sunday. The reception, held in a packed hall, comprised members of Jewish Community, Leaders of London’s Diverse Faith Groups, MPs, Assembly Members and Councillors. Accompanied bymy Assembly colleagues Andrew Dismore, Tom Copley, Nicky Gavron and Unmesh Desai,it was a pleasure to hear moving and inspiring addresses from keynote speakers like Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Rabbi Laura Janner Klausner, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, local MP Rushanara Ali, General Secretary of the TUC, Frances O’Grady, and Ruth Smeeth MP etc.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, whom I’d heard at Pinner Synagogue recently, delivered a powerful and inspiring message of the ‘power of unity’ and cautioned that after 80 years the threat from fascist still continues and further flagged up the new message “they shall not divide us”. Sadiq Khan – Mayor of London expressed solidarity with friends and families and rejected fascism. He declared how the Battle of Cable Street, after 80 yearscontinues to inspire London’s diverse communities. The Mayor stressed the need to respect and celebrate diversity and differences.
Assembly Members Andrew Dismore, Tom Copley and I signed London Jewish Forum and Jewish Leadership Council’s joint pledge declaring “On the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, we pledge to combat all forms of racism, antisemitism, islamophobia and fascism wherever they are found. We commit to building communities that value diversity and embrace differences, and we stand together with those who share British values and promote tolerance. We stand firm that prejudice and hate shall never be accepted in our society.”
