Stopping the Blackshirts 1936

On Monday 29th June 1936 the leader of the British Union of Fascists was due to speak in Middlesbrough Town Hall.

Eighteen months earlier in February 1935 a huge Communist demonstration outside the municipal buildings had overshadowed his first visit, but the meeting had passed off peacefully.

This time was to be very different, George Short, the Communist Party district organiser for Teesside managed to get 'some of our boys' into the meeting hall. The Blackshirts reacted violently and fighting ensued, resulting in the cancellation of the meeting.

The consequences were that the BUF were barred from hiring municipal buildings on Teesside; the humiliated Oswald Mosley never returned to Teesside.

We will be holding a commemoration at Middlesbrough Town Hall to mark the anniversary of this significant antifascists action.

You may also like the following events from North East Volunteers for Liberty:

• Next month, 12th July, 08:00 am, The NEVfL group at the 139th Miners' Gala in Durham
• This September, 24th September, 07:00 pm, Alexander Foote and the 'Lucy spyring' in Middlesbrough

Also check out other Meetups in Middlesbrough, Parties in Middlesbrough, Entertainment events in Middlesbrough.