Thousands of protesters marched through east London on Sunday to mark the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, calling to “stop the far right”. The demonstration set off from Tower Hamlets Town Hall in Whitechapel and made its way to St George’s Gardens in Cable Street.
1936 clash remembered
The Battle of Cable Street, on October 4 1936, saw demonstrators block Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists (BUF) from marching through the East End of London. The antisemitic BUF’s decision to march through the area, then home to a large Jewish population, was seen as a deliberate provocation, and anti-fascist organisations rallied large crowds to stop the march.
Placards carried at Sunday’s march read “Stop Islamophobia, Stop the far right” alongside pictures of activist Tommy Robinson, as well as others saying “Stop Trump, Stop Farage”. Those at the front carried a banner reading: “No to: Antisemitism, Islamophobia, all racism. 1936 they did not pass. 2026 they will not pass.”
Chants and counter-protest
Other banners included “From Cable Street to Garvaghy Road, smash fascism”, referencing the Drumcree parade dispute in Northern Ireland. Groups taking part included trade unions such as Unite and organisations including Jewish Bloc for Palestine. Protesters chanted “Zionists are not welcome here” and “Zionism is fascism”.
There was a brief confrontation between marchers and two counter-protesters carrying “Campaign Against Antisemitism” flags. The Metropolitan Police said one man was arrested for breach of the peace and later arrested for public order offences.
Political speeches
Speaking after the march, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn criticised “racist language used today by Farage and Reform and all the others who are now blaming refugees and migrants”. He said: “Anti-racism means we oppose every form of racism, whatever it is, wherever it raises its head, because it destroys the unity that we need in order to improve the living standards of the poorest people within our society.”
Corbyn added: “The biggest proponents of, now, Islamophobia are the far right across Europe. They are funded by Elon Musk. And the big money that flows into those parties, you need to know where it comes from and who is providing it.”
Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman said “migration, immigrants, the indigenous communities together have made Tower Hamlets what it is: a great borough”. He added: “The 1930s and the early 1940s was a taint of dreadful, dreadful world history. Mosley ran riot across the country and tried to run riot in Tower Hamlets. Our forefathers said, ‘No, you’re not coming here. You shall not pass’. And they couldn’t pass. And we say that again now: the fascists, the far right, will never run riot in Tower Hamlets.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Instead of commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, those marching today hijacked it. In 1936 the British Union of Fascists sought to drive Jews from the streets, and in 2026 at the Unite the Union march attendees shouted ‘Zionist scum off our streets’. There were other similarities too: there was no audible intervention from the Government, and the police facilitated the march of these vile bigots rather than taking action. Ninety years ago, brave Londoners recognised anti-Jewish racism and stood with their Jewish neighbours against it. Ninety years ago, they did not pass. Today, despite the efforts of a valiant few, they did.”
