Jewish people in the UK were struck by a catch-22, blamed as much for being too poor and driving down labour costs as they were for being too rich, which is based on the antisemitic stereotype of exploitative landlords. The Great Depression had fuelled antisemitism among the aristocracy as much as in the working classes, but particularly in the deprived neighbourhoods of East End with its large Jewish community. In those four years, the political party had grown to approximately 50,000 members and had even gathered some unlikely supporters, most notably the Suffragette Norah Elam and the Daily Mail, who published the headline “Hurrah for the Blackshirts!” in 1934. On Sunday 4 October 1936, Londoners took to Cable Street to stop the Blackshirt fascist march through the heart of the East End, intended as the celebration of the fourth birthday of the British Union of Fascists (BUF). It is acknowledged as being the worst case of antisemitism in interwar Britain. But less well documented is the Mile End Pogrom that took place a week after it was a targeted, violent attack on the Jewish communities that spilled onto Grove Road, Roman Road and Victoria Park. Many of us who live in the East End are familiar with the Battle of Cable Street, which is now commemorated on a mural near Shadwell. This article is part of a series by Siri Christiansen uncovering the history of the local Jewish community. It is a story that uncovers how far right sentiment can go further in local and national politics than expected.
Amid a climate of record high antisemitic crimes, writer Siri Christiansen uncovers the history of the Mile End Pogrom.
0 kommentar(er)
