Page 11 - By The Waters Of Liverpool - Information Booklet
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THE RISE OF FASCISM IN BRITAIN
The mid-1930s saw the rise of Fascism
throughout Europe and including Great
Britain. In October 1936, fascist marches in
London and Paris were banned after violent
clashes between fascist supporters and
Communist demonstrators. Many people
were injured.
On 4th October 1936, in London, fascist
Oswald Mosley and his supporters marched OSWALD MOSLEY HOSPITALISED
through the East End which was lined with IN LIVERPOOL - 1937
Communist activists who had gathered to
oppose the march which became known as On the 10th December 1937, Oswald Mos-
the ‘Battle of Cable Street’. After the police ley was due to address a rally of his British
used baton charges to disperse the unruly Union of Fascists in Liverpool. The Glasgow
mobs, the situation became so serious that Herald newspaper described what hap-
the march was stopped by the Commis- pened...
sioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Philip
Game. By 1.30am a total of 84 arrests had ‘Sir Oswald Mosley was hit on the head by
been made. a stone and knocked semi-conscience as
he stood on the top of a loud-speaker van
to address an open-air meeting at Queens
Drive, Liverpool, yesterday. As the van was
being driven to a piece of waste land, hun-
dreds of missiles were thrown. Sir Oswald
had not had time to utter a word when a
large stone hit him on the temple and he
fell on his face. Mounted police who were
standing by in a neighbouring yard, imme-
diately rushed out and charged the crowd
back. A fascist bodyguard stood by to guard
Fascist Oswald Mosley and his ‘Blackshirts’ prepare Sir Oswald in spite of showers of bricks
to march in Cable Street, London.
from large sections of the crowd. Mosley
was rushed to Walton Hospital, where he
was photographed above and discharged a
week later.’
In England, support for fascist groups dwin-
dled. The British public never took to Mos-
ley & his Blackshirts or any other fascist
group. They looked beyond the facade and
didn’t like what they saw. By the end of the
1930s, Britain’s romance with fascism was
over. But across the English Channel it was
a different story.
Police baton charge anti-fascist demonstrators in
‘The Battle of Cable Street’.
