Mitch Addison, 28
This year marks the 85th year since the start of World War 2. This war is and the years prior and following it are filled with pivotal moments within human history. It marked points where extreme ideologies began to contain more influence within Europe and other parts of the world, such as the rise of fascism and formation of Stalinism. It also shows the most vile things that humankind is capable of, such as the mass murder of Jews in the Holocaust or the Great Purge in the Soviet Union. Weapons from World War 1 were also refined and improved, such as tanks and artillery. It also contains great moments of victory and heroism for the Allies, such as the Invasion of Normandy and liberation of those that were conquered by the Nazis, such as the French and Polish. However, with such notable things, other people and events are often overlooked. One of these people was Oswald Mosley, the founder and leader of the British Union of Fascists.
To fully understand the British Union of Fascist, BUF for short, its leader, Oswald Mosley, must first be looked at. Oswald Mosley was a young politician known for his skills in public speaking. While he initially was a member of the Conservative Party, he changed his allegiance to the Labour Party, which worked more closely with trade unions and was in direct opposition to the Conservative Party. In 1931, he tried to form his own party known as the New Party, which was eventually beaten for reelection into Parliament by the Conservatives. Following the election, Moseley traveled to Italy, with Benito Mussolini’s approval, to look for inspiration to challenge the Conservative and Labour Parties. Upon his arrival, Mosley and Mussolini formed an immediate friendship. Both of them had a political background in socialism, and they both were tired of democracy and legislative governments. After seeing everything that Mussolini had done in Italy, Mosley got the idea to form his own fascist party, but with a couple of changes to fit Mosley’s vision of fascism.
Once Mosley returned, he began to work on a campaign for the party that would become the British Union of Fascists. Mosley did not form a brand new party; instead, he merged existing fascist parties with his own to create the BUF. Initially, the BUF stood for changes where people were voted into Parliament by occupation rather than geographical origin. Furthermore, the BUF was to be the catalyst for changes that allowed corporate states to be formed. These corporate states would make up a council that advised the government of economic activities. Additionally, they would allow for the creation of private industries with state intervention when deemed necessary. Mosley and the BUF also hoped that industry could be maximized so that more jobs could be made and an economically independent Britain could be built. Mosley’s plan for the BUF would have helped to reform Britain and the perception of fascism as a whole. However, this would not last as Mosley and the BUF would soon venture into anti-semitism and para-militarism.
The Blackshirts, the security force for BUF rallies, already made people nervous. They were incredibly well-known for their fighting ability, and as violence became more prevalent at BUF rallies, the Blackshirts became more visible and ominous to the public. The Blackshirts’ brutality also steadily increased as more tension between the BUF and anti-fascist groups rose. The Blackshirts were not allowed to use weaponry of any kind, although accounts state that Blackshirts used metal knuckle coverings similar to brass knuckles. Mosley claimed that the Blackshirts were protecting the freedom of speech in Britain, but this does not excuse any actions committed by the Blackshirts. Eventually, the media would accuse the Blackshirts of unprovoked attacks on communists and Jews. They would also be accused of raiding offices and flipping over cars. At a rally in the Olympia Hall, Mosley had planned on having one of the largest BUF rallies there. However, since he planned the rally in advance, the Communists had time to plan how they would prevent Mosley from speaking. Over the months prior to the rally, the Communists encouraged their supporters to go to Olympia, wear disguises such as Blackshirts, and cut lighting cables. This would allow a large, chaotic crowd of communists- large enough they could cause a great disturbance. On the day of the rally when Mosley was speaking, Communist supporters chanted, “Fascism Means Murder: Down with Mosley!” Mosley desperately tried to continue his speech, but he was not capable of continuing it. Mosley would go on to be silenced for one hour at Olympia. The Blackshirts, excessively violently as always, removed the disruptors. The police arrested another 21 protestors for various charges including obstruction and public disturbance. The violence caused was heavily judged by the BUF and the media. The BUF and Mosley accused the Communists of using weapons and assaulting people. The media, however, called out the violence of the Blackshirts and the lack of weaponry they had.
Following the events of Olympia, the BUF would lean far more into the radical ideas associated with fascism. This began with Mosley’s public support for Hitler. This would have consequences on the BUF’s public image, especially following the Night of the Long Knives, which was a purge of any political opponents to Hitler and the Nazis. Mosley and the BUF showed their support for Hitler, while the general public was against it. This, coupled with the events that occurred at Olympia, led to the BUF losing support. Anti-semitism and anti-semetic propaganda was forbidden within the BUF, and Mosley even stated that anti-semitism and fascism were unrelated. Despite this, many anti-semetic people joined the BUF, and their views on the Jews and Judaism spread. While it had no real impact in the BUF, it would change greatly once Mosley fell ill. At that point, an anti-semitist named William Joyce, hosted a radio show where he spread Nazi propaganda. This led most BUF meetings and his anti-semitist views to spread into the BUF. This led to further fights between Jews in Britain and the BUF. Inevitably, this would turn into persecution.
A notable incident of anti-semitism in the BUF is best shown when looking at a series of fights that took place at Coventry Street. At Coventry Street, there were seven BUF members selling the BUF newspaper called the Blackshirt. Six Jewish citizens walked by. The BUF members provoked outrage from these Jewish people, which led to the police arresting everyone involved. The next day, there were twelve members of the BUF. Another fight broke out, but this time, there were eight Jews, and two of them were sentenced to five years in jail for assault and disorderly conduct. This is just one of many examples of BUF.
Mosley would also turn against the Jews, claiming he was only against those determined to destroy his movement. Eventually, what was called “Organized Jewry” became the main enemy of the BUF, replacing the communists. This fully convinced the British public that the BUF was no different from any other fascist party in the world, and Mosley’s name was forever associated with fascism and anti-semitism. All of this culminated in the Battle of Cable Street in 1936. On October 4, 1936, Mosley organized a march through London. The Jewish People’s Council, which represented friendly Jewish societies and trade unions in Britain, wrote a petition that asked for this march to be canceled. Officials refused to ban the event. They still gathered around 6000 police officers to prevent any violence at the event. Mosley and 3000 other supporters were going to march from the Royal Mint to the districts of Shoreditch, Limehouse, Bow, and Bethnal Green, with the idea that Mosley was going to speak at each location until the end of the march. However, when they arrived at the Royal Mint, a large crowd was blocking Cable Street. The crowds made angry verbal exchanges, such as the fascists yelling, “M-O-S-L-E-Y, we want Mosley.” The opposing crowd would respond with, “So do we, dead or alive!” The police tried their best to prevent violence from ensuing, like it did at Olympia. Eventually, the Chief of Police contacted the Home Secretary and asked him to cancel the march. He agreed and told Mosley and the fascists to return home, to which they complied. By the end of the incident, 83 protestors were arrested, and 100 were injured.
The BUF blamed the usual groups, the communists and Jews, for blocking the street and disrupting the meeting with violence in an organized attack against fascism. Despite this, Mosley and the BUF were accused of marching with the intent to cause violence, and the Battle of Cable Street would rest in the memory of the British public as one that stood against racism, violence, and anti-semitism. The British government, who did not directly interfere with the BUF and its activities, had enough. Seeing the opposition against the BUF was far more popular than the supporters, the Public Order Act was voted on in Parliament. The Act passed making political uniforms, paramilitary groups, and promoting parties by physical force illegal. Any concerns the public had about the enforcement of the Act was resolved swiftly, as a BUF member selling their newspapers was arrested for wearing a black shirt, black tie, and badges associated with the BUF. The BUF also lost its ability to maintain order at its outdoor meetings because that would involve physical force to promote a party and a paramilitary group. Instead, the police guarded the meetings in place of the Blackshirts. They were inexperienced, however, allowing protestors to easily prevent Mosley from speaking. The police were also unwilling to go to extreme levels of violence in order to stop the protestors. This effectively prevented the BUF from sharing its views since public speaking was its primary form of communication. The loss of the uniform, public speaking, and the distrust from the public led to the BUF losing most of its members and eventually collapsing. After World War 2 began, Mosley was arrested and was not released until 1943. In 1948, he tried to launch another political career with the Union Movement, a combination of many groups. It failed, and he left the country in 1951. He tried for a final time to win on an anti-immigration platform in 1959, but it failed too. He finally retired to France where he lived until his death in 1980.
The story of the BUF, at least in the grand scale of history, is a short one, but it is important: it played a role in the UK’s views on fascism. It also shows that nothing is as black and white as it seems; instead things are varying shades of gray.