Eight men, including several who were interned during the war for pro-fascist activities and a Jewish war hero, were released on bail today pending a hearing as a result of two street brawls yesterday when enraged listeners broke up meetings called by fascist groups.
The meetings, which were sponsored by the British League of Ex-Servicemen, an anti-Semitic post-World War II organization, featured bitter denunciation of the Jews, who were accused of being responsible for the murder of British soldiers in Palestine. The newsletter published by Sir Oswald Mosley and other fascist literature was distributed.
The first meeting was broken up after the chairman attacked the Jews and ended by stating that “I am a fascist.” The second was stopped by police after several members of the audience had converged on the speaker’s platform.
The press reports today that delegates returning from the Labor Party conference at Margate reveal that many of the hotels there displayed signs reading: “For Gentiles Only.” One woman delegate was quoted as stating that she packed up and left her hotel when she noticed the sign. She added: “I’m not Jewish, but people are people to me.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
