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British Laborites Demand Probe of Mosley’s Fascists

October 6, 1936
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The British Labor Party Congress meeting here today demanded a government investigation of the disorders in London yesterday and the activities and finances of Sir Oswald Mosley’s Fascist organization.

“This conference views with grave concern,” read the resolution passed by the delegates, “the tragic and deplorable events of yesterday in East London, condemns the government’s unwillingness to ban the Fascist march in spite of the obvious dangers of a breach in public peace, condemns the provocative tactics of the Fascists and repeats the view that while freedom of speech must be preserved, encouragement of civil disorder, racial strife, parade of force, militarized politics and the use of political uniforms should be forbidden.”

In submitting the resolution, Herbert Morrison, left-wing Labor leader, bitterly attacked Home Secretary Sir John Simon as “feeble and a coward” and asserted that the Fascist parade had been organized to provoke disorders and race war.

“If the Fascists want to have a quarrel,” he exclaimed, “with members of the (Jewish) race they do not like, why should they descend upon these poor people in the East End of London rather than upon Park Lane? It will be a bad thing for East London and a bad thing for the country if that interesting part of the world becomes a cockpit for organized battles between the Fascists and Communists.”

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