Jewish group barred from 90th anniversary commemoration of Battle of Holbeck Moor – when Oswald Mosley’s blackshirts were chased out of Leeds – because they ‘gave platform to a Reform speaker’
Stop The Hate Leeds, a pro-Israel Jewish group, has been barred from attending a 90th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Holbeck Moor, the 1936 anti-fascist resistance to Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists. The event organisers, Stand Up To Racism Leeds, justified the exclusion on grounds that the group's political affiliation—specifically members' support for the Reform Party—would make their presence "divisive," raising questions about political inclusion at events commemorating anti-fascist history.
The original Battle of Holbeck Moor occurred on 27 September 1936, when approximately 1,000 Blackshirts were confronted by an estimated 30,000 anti-fascist protesters organised by the Communist Party; Mosley was drowned out and the BUF forced to retreat. Stop The Hate Leeds had informed organisers of its intention to attend the commemoration march with flags and banners as an expression of community connection to the history. Stand Up To Racism cited the group's alignment with Reform, its support for Israel, and what they characterise as Israeli policy in Gaza as reasons for exclusion, whilst group organiser Philip Marks—whose father and grandfather participated in the 1936 clash—denied that his group had ever hosted a Reform speaker.
- Jewish pro-Israel group excluded from 1936 anti-fascism anniversary event over political views
- Organisers cited members' Reform support and Israel stance as divisive
- Tension between political inclusion and event organisers' activism positioning
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Stop The Hate Leeds has direct familial connection to the 1936 battle and seeks to honour that history; excluding groups based on contemporary political affiliations sets a troubling precedent that commemorations require ideological purity tests. Opposition to fascism should unite rather than divide, and if the principle is opposition to authoritarianism, that should encompass people across the political spectrum who share that commitment. The factual claim about hosting a Reform speaker is disputed, and excluding a Jewish group from celebrating resistance to fascism contradicts the very inclusivity those anti-fascist battles were fought to defend. Political diversity among anti-fascists has been the norm throughout history; the demand for uniformity of contemporary political opinion is foreign to the coalition-building that characterised the original 1936 resistance.
The case against
Stand Up To Racism Leeds can argue that commemorating anti-fascist resistance necessarily means standing against ideologies and policies they consider authoritarian or oppressive in the present day. If members of Stop The Hate Leeds support the Reform Party—viewed as promoting discriminatory immigration policies—and Israeli policies in Gaza, which they characterise as ethnic oppression, then their presence represents a contradiction to the values being commemorated. Events of solidarity against fascism have always involved choosing who belongs in that coalition; inclusivity toward this group would mean exclusivity from Palestinians and others they believe are being harmed. Commemorations are not neutral spaces but moral statements, and organisers have both the right and responsibility to ensure the event reflects their values and respects those affected by the policies the commemorators believe the group endorses.