Our celebration of the people’s victory over fascism unites our communities

On Sunday 4 October 2026 the Cable Street 90 march and rally will take place through the East End of London. This is an event built with local community, trade union and anti-racist organisations working in unison with the support of Tower Hamlets Council and the mayor.

Our Cable Street 90 march and rally will be a joyous, family-friendly celebration of community unity as we remember and celebrate the unity against fascism and antisemitism in this area on this same day in 1936, which won such an important victory back then. We recall with pride the solidarity of Irish and Jewish people in Cable Street itself.

Above all, this day belongs to the descendants of all those who came together to resist the fascists, and all who are committed to the continuing struggle against racism and fascism – wherever it occurs – and for equality and dignity for all in our shared multicultural spaces. Anti-racism is not a pick ‘n’ choose activity. We stand proudly united against all racism from whichever quarter it comes. That is why the banner of Cable Street 90 that we will march behind bears the motto “No to Antisemitism. No to Islamophobia. No to all racism.”

On 4 October 2026 we will show our solidarity with the local community of the East End against far-right, racist, ultra-nationalist, Islamophobic forces today. The local Bangladeshi community has suffered at the sharpest end of anti-immigrant racist violence and intimidation since the 1970s resulting in racist murders, including that of Altab Ali on 4 May 1978, who we will remember on 4 October with a solemn minute’s silence.

That violence was encouraged by far-right fascist groups such as the National Front, British Movement and Combat 18, who continued to indulge their antisemitism too. On 4 October we will honour especially the Bangladeshi youth movements who played such a crucial role in building resistance then to the fascists and against everyday racism.

Defending good community relations and opposing all division

A plethora of far-right groups still seek to march and demonstrate in the area, displaying Union Jacks and Israeli flags. They do so, knowing there is much sympathy for Palestinian suffering within local Muslim communities and growing demands across the country for justice for Palestinians. We welcome the recent shift in British government policy of a sweeping ban on all UK trade and economic dealings with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, alongside an expansion of the arms embargo against Israel announced on 8 September this year by a Jewish home secretary whose parents arrived in this country as refugees from Nazism.

Relations between the Muslim community and the Jewish community in the East End are good.  We are determined that the Cable Street 90 march and rally will defend and uphold good community relations and not be used to promote division, or hatred.

We will not allow the purpose and the spirit of the Cable Street 90 march – a celebration of community unity, solidarity and harmony – to be disrupted by those with other agendas. We honour those who stood up to the far right in the 1930s and we unite against those who wish to spread disharmony today. We know who will pay the price for Islamophobic, anti-immigrant and anti-refugee rhetoric today.  

We will hold a short rally in Whitechapel, then a longer one when our march reaches St George’s Gardens on Cable Street.  Our platforms will feature Jewish, Bengali and international speakers, trade unionists, political figures and committed anti-racists and anti-fascists. Several of our Jewish speakers will talk about their mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles who participated in the events in the East End on 4 October 1936 and Bengali speakers who will recall the fight to be free from racist violence and discrimination from the 1970s to the present day.

We will also welcome speakers and marchers who will recall the antifascist struggle in Spain against General Franco’s forces from 1936-38. Many people from Tower Hamlets volunteered to fight against Franco’s forces through the International Brigades. Sadly, more than 20 of them died there. Here in Britain and in Spain they said “No Pasaran!” – They Shall Not Pass!” – and we still do.

Main March and Rally: Sunday, 4 October 2026. Assemble at 12 noon outside Tower Hamlets Town Hall, march to Cable Street at 1pm, followed by music and speeches at St George’s Gardens, London E1 0BH.