This workshop is based on files from the Home Office and Metropolitan Police Office, recording incidents of anti-Semitic and British Union Fascist (BUF) activity in the East End of London. The session starts with a "warm up" activity that involves analysis of two different posters - one advertising a BUF rally and one calling for an anti-fascist demonstration. The Education Officer leading the session then goes on to summarise the background to the BUF.
Students are then involved in a discussion about the Olympia rally of 1934 and how it is often seen as the high point of fascist support. Students are given the opportunity to work on a selection of files produced by the Metropolitan Police and Home Office relating to the Olympia rally, before considering how the media portrayed the BUF. The Metropolitan Police documents are compared to scenes of the Olympia rally in the television film "Mosley".
The focus of the workshop then shifts to discuss why the BUF lost support after Olympia and examines the effects of the Battle of Cable Street. Students then have a chance to examine Metropolitan Police, Home Office and secret service files relating to BUF.
If you wish to stay on and make a day of your research, we can provide you with references for additional documents on anti-Semitism that you can order up and continue to research in the reading rooms. We will also explain how to search the catalogue, order documents and give you a tour of the reading rooms.
Session options
This session can be delivered as a
Workshop
