Ninety years after the Battle of Cable Street, our communities in the East End continue to stand up to hate with creativity and connection. Daedalus Theatre Company joins Together on Cable Street for a programme of workshops and events leading up to October 4th, culminating in a demo and march starting outside Tower Hamlets Town Hall in Whitechapel from 12PM.
Joining the Together programme makes a lot of sense for Daedalus. We are a local theatre company with experience working with working-class and migrant communities, and we are therefore aware of the very real threat facing our communities in today’s political climate. We have also invested in long-term relationships with artists who share our values of combatting injustice, hatred and bigotry. Daedalus reflect the diversity of this great borough and has developed projects and programmes that are already attuned to anti-fascist and anti-racist movement building, Finally, as a company, we prize work that brings Jewish and Muslim communities together. This is particularly evident in our East Storytelling Project with internationally renowned Associate Artists Sef Townsend and Shamim Azad.
“The work that we do at Daedalus emerges out of necessity and urgency at an extremely tense time for migrants, queers and working-class communities in the UK who feel abandoned by political parties. We believe in our duty as artists during difficult times (Toni Morrison) to give voice to those who have felt ignored and bring communities together through the art of storytelling and theatre.” – Tasnim Siddiqa Amin, Assistant Director / Producer
We are very pleased to announce our partnership with the Tower Hamlets Trades Council and the local young people charity Streets of Growth to mark this historic moment.
“TOGETHER on Cable Street is delighted to be working with Daedalus. They’re bringing four really important things to our season – young people, music, storytelling and fun! It’s essential to preserve and pass on the lessons of Cable Street. Daedalus is helping do that.” – Glyn Robbins, Tower Hamlets Trades Council Secretary
Public Programme:
Revolutionary Singalong: Battle of Cable Street Edition
Thursday 24th September, 6.30PM-9PM at Three Colts Tavern in Bethnal Green.
Get your singing voices and your revolutionary hearts ready for a night of solidarity and protest songs with the Black Smock Band!
There will be a film screening at 7PM, followed by live music from 7.30PM onwards.
Tickets are Pay What You Can. This event is for 18+.
Together on Cable Street with East Storytellers + Open Mic
Friday 2nd October, 6PM-7.30PM at The Old Boars Head at Streets of Growth Aldgate.
90 years on from the Battle of Cable Street, what are the stories that define us? Join the East storytellers for an evening of tales from the East End and beyond. There will also be an opportunity for you to share a story at the open mic!
Tickets are Pay What You Can. This event is suitable for all ages.
About Together on Cable Street
2026 marks 90 years since the Battle of Cable Street. A big celebration is planned for the actual anniversary – Sunday 4th October 2026. March and rally will take place from 12PM. Assemble outside of Tower Hamlets Town Hall. The aim of “TOGETHER on Cable Street” is to remember what happened in 1936 and connect it with what’s happening today. A season of cultural events will run for the six months leading up to and beyond, 4th October. There’s drama, dance, music, film, book discussions and more.
You can check out the full programme here: https://togetheroncablestreet.com/
The Battle of Cable Street
What happened on Sunday 4 October 1936?
A few minutes away from Shadwell Station on the Overground Windrush line, you’ll see a large mural painted on the side of St George’s Town Hall. It depicts some of the key events from that momentous day when thousands of Londoners gathered to stop Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists* marching through the East End.
The fascists aimed to win support by dividing Londoners at a time of economic crisis, as have many other political groups past and present. Their march targeted the East End’s large Jewish community, whom they used as a scapegoat for the area’s problems.
But the fascists never made it into Whitechapel. In what became known as the Battle of Cable Street, thousands of people, mainly local East Enders, came out and built barricades to stop them, clashing with police who tried to clear the way.
The event remains a symbol of Londoners’ resistance to the rise of fascism and antisemitism in the lead-up to the Second World War (1939–1945).
NOTES
‘Fascists’ refers to people who are supporters of fascism, a strict system of government where a leader has total power and takes away people’s personal freedoms. They usually believe that their country is better than other countries and blame specific groups of people, like Jews or Muslims, for their problems.
Source: https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/battle-of-cable-street/
