Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
Latest editorial
Corbyn and the Cable Street connection
DAVID ROSENBERG recalls the Islington North MP’s record as an ever-present fighter against division, xenophobia and hate
Corbyn with the late Max Levitas at a Cable Street memorial event; and a poster for an event to mark the 50th anniversary in 1986, at which Corbyn spoke
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
Special report by PEOPLE’S WORLD
NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
IN OCTOBER 2016 I was the convener for Cable Street 80. Through two rallies and a spirited march, we celebrated the mass anti-fascist mobilisation of 1936 that stopped thousands of Oswald Mosley’s uniformed and jackbooted fascists invading the Jewish areas of London’s East End. Commemorations have taken place every 10 years, more recently every five.
When we drew up our desired speakers list for Cable Street 80, one of the first names we pencilled in was Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran anti-racist, anti-fascist activist who had won the Labour leadership a year earlier with a huge mandate from the membership.
He made clear that he intended to continue this area of activism on the very day he was elected. Minutes after his acceptance speech, he headed for Hyde Park to address a national rally in support of refugees.
Similar stories
Through marches, music, schools and political debate, campaigners in Tower Hamlets are using the 90th anniversary of Cable Street to inspire resistance to modern racism. GLYN ROBBINS explains
Once again Tower Hamlets is being targeted by anti-Islam campaigners, this time a revamped and radicalised version of Ukip — the far-right event is now banned by the police, but we’ll be assembling this Saturday to make sure they stay away, says JAYDEE SEAFORTH
KEVIN COURTNEY of Stand Up to Racism and JOHN PAGE of the Ella Baker School of Organising announce a joint project aiming to unite trade unions and social movements in creating new narratives to fight the divisive rhetoric of the far right
CLAUDIA WEBBE argues that Labour gains nothing from its adoption of right-wing stances on immigration, and seems instead to be deliberately paving the way for the far right to become an established force in British politics, as it has already in Europe