THIS year, we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street.

The lessons of what happened on October 4 1936 have never been more important. They represent a moment of class solidarity that we urgently need to recreate, in the face of a far-right threat reminiscent of the 1930s.

To do this requires more than commemorations. The racist narrative, being allowed to run free by media and politicians alike, must be challenged at every turn. We should use the Battle of Cable Street to raise issues around poverty, trade unionism, international solidarity and fascist scapegoatism.

That’s the purpose of Together on Cable Street, a season of events being organised by Tower Hamlets Trades Council, alongside local community, faith and cultural groups, with support from Unite the Union, the local branch of Unison and others.

After a successful launch at the Genesis Cinema in Mile End on May 10, the first event in the calendar (on June 2) is “Remembering Blair Peach,” a public meeting being organised by his former union branch, Tower Hamlets and City National Education Union (NEU).

Speakers will include Michael Rosen, Jo Lang, Kevin Courtney and other friends and colleagues who knew Blair Peach and the importance of his life and death.

Future events include Lindsey German talking about her book The People’s History of London, Louise Raw describing the link between the Bryant & May matchwomen’s strike and Cable Street, Meirian Jump from the Marx Memorial Library on the role of women in the Spanish Civil War and Geoff Brown discussing his book about the history of the Anti-Nazi League.

In September, Dave Rosenberg will be leading one of his acclaimed local history walks in the footsteps of Cable Street.

Around the actual anniversary date, when, a big march is being planned, the Young’uns music trio will be performing their superb working-class folk opera, The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff at St George in-the-East church, just off Cable Street.

Their performance will cement the link between fascist resistance in the East End of London and the north-east of England, from where members of the Battle of Stockton society will be travelling to join us in October.

But we should never overlook that many people don’t know the history some in the labour movement take for granted. That’s why Together on Cable Street is making a special effort to involve local schools.

Pupils at Swanlea secondary school, just down the road from Gardiner’s Corner in Whitechapel where people gathered to oppose the Blackshirts 90 years ago, are rehearsing a dance performance that brings the story up to date.

In the autumn, Morpeth school in Bethnal Green will participate in a play about the Irish community in the East End and their role at Cable Street, written by local playwright Elaine Delay.

Young people in Tower Hamlets, and other multi-ethnic communities across the country, are seeing a revival of the kind of racism their parents and grandparents experienced. But they are also threatened by unemployment and financial hardship. We cannot allow them to believe the only way to solve those problems is blaming migrants and voting Reform.

The national Together march on March 28 was a magnificent demonstration of solidarity and resistance, with our trade unions, finally, getting properly involved. The resulting blow to the morale of the far right was confirmed on May 16, when their racist Unite the Kingdom gathering was dwarfed by anti-racist forces on the Nakba march.

But the threat has not gone away. The election results on May 7 confirm that we are still facing the danger of a far-right, populist government. The labour movement must maintain continuous activity focused on confronting the racist lies.

Big demonstrations are important, but they are not enough. Nor is putting faith in the possibility of a rebranded Labour Party under Andy Burnham and waiting for the next election.

We need grassroots, community-oriented campaigns that speak to people’s everyday experiences, and offer an alternative vision of the future based on class solidarity, not division, in the spirit of the Battle of Cable Street.

For more information about Together on Cable Street, email thtcsec@yahoo.com, call Glyn on 07411 557-097 or visit the website, togetheroncablestreet.com. We are also looking for financial donations to support the season.