Sadiq Khan to address Cable Street commemoration

Sadiq Khan is set to address the Jewish community’s commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street.

The London mayor will be joined by TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady at next month’s event, eight decades after a planned march through a Jewish area of the East End by Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists was repelled.

Police had planned to allow the march to proceed on 4 October 1936 but were eventually forced the cancel it on public safety grounds after 20,000 Jews, socialists and trade unionists came together to repel the fascists.

Jewish leaders said the battle would be marked to “ensure that future generations continue the resolve to fight racism and fascism”. The 9 October reception, organised by the London Jewish Forum and media partnered by the Jewish News, will also hear from Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Reform senior Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, and MPs Rushanara Ali and Ruth Smeeth. Attendees will be able to sign a pledge to anti-racism campaigning.

The Jewish Leadership Council have also worked closely with educational groups to develop classroom resources around the anniversary and devise a programme that can be run by youth movements. JW3 is also putting on a Cable Street festival.

Adrian Cohen, Chair of London Jewish Forum, said the event “will serve as a real opportunity to engage with where we stand on fighting racism and fascism today, and marking this anniversary helps us to build even stronger links with communities in London”.

Simon Johnson, chIef executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, added: “The Jewish community should always look to build on its strong history of fighting racism and fascism. We have a responsibility to educate our younger generations on a significant moment in British history and encourage them to think what they can do to continue that legacy today.”

Gerald Ronson CBE, Chair of Community Security Trust, which is supporting the event, said: “Cable Street marks an important moment in our communal history, showing our continuing fight against antisemitism, racism and fascism.”