Voices of Cable Street: Witnesses to the Battle
What did the people who stood on Cable Street in 1936 really see, feel, and believe?
What were the voices – on both sides – of those who lived through one of the most defining confrontations in Cockney and working-class history?
What did the people who stood on Cable Street in 1936 really see, feel, and believe? What were the voices – on both sides – of those who lived through one of the most defining confrontations in Cockney and working-class history?
Thanks to a remarkable research project, we can hear the stories being told from both the Blackshirts and the anti-fascists who resisted them.
Professor Pippa Catterall of the University of Westminster, who, in 1991 assembled a remarkable gathering from both sides of the battle to record a witness seminar – a rare moment where former opponents spoke openly about their experiences. Featuring readings from these testimonies, bringing their voices vividly back to life.
What motivated them to march or to resist? What was the tension, the danger, and the atmosphere on the streets like? The stories, flashes of humour, and moments of fear?
Listen as we revisit through a unique window how ordinary people found themselves living through history.
Organised by the Modern Cockney Festival in support of the Together on Cable Street 90th anniversary commemoration of the ‘Battle of Cable Street’ organised by United East End.