ABSTRACT
As Bill Fishman noted, the Battle immediately began to pass into anti-fascist and Jewish lore, portrayed as a decisive victory against the fascists. What is perhaps most surprising, given that the Battle of Cable Street has become associated with confrontational opposition to fascism, is that very similar conversations were taking place within the ranks of Britain's anti-fascist organisations. Fishman was also prepared to confront misconceptions common on the Jewish side of the struggle. In particular, he challenged the notion that the police were sympathetic towards the fascists and antagonistic towards their opponents, especially Jews. However, the emphases have obscured the fact that, in the months following Cable Street, it was the fascist narrative that won out in much of East London. Thus, Fishman's conclusion that Cable Street was a "humiliating defeat for Mosley" and a "turning point" after which fascism went into decline – an interpretation favoured by many participants – is at best partially true.
