The Battle of Cable Street

From the collection of

Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton collects, preserves, catalogues and provides public access to its collection of films and magic lantern slides. The collection charts the rise of screen culture in the region and the nation and captures many aspects of life, work and creativity in the South East from the late 19th century to the present day. It is available for research, screenings, creative re-use and commercial access.

The Battle of Cable Street

Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton
London
4 Oct 1936
Silent
11m

The notorious Battle of Cable St kicks off this 1936 film, which also shows young Basque refugees and a Communist Summer Camp in rural Kent.

In this unique amateur film, by Lewis Rosenberg, we see large crowds of demonstrators amid a heavy police presence. An ambulance passes through the crowd and we see a man under arrest. We then see Basque refugee children with their UK sponsors at a fund raising event followed by a gathering of young communists at a summer camp in rural Kent. Delegates are seen socialising, attempting the French Apache Dance, ironing with a garden roller and indulging in boisterous horseplay.

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From the collection

Jewish Britain

Jewish life on screen: a century of insights and hidden histories

This collection uncovers insights, injustices and hidden histories across a century of Jewish life on British screens. It brings together documentary and first-person accounts of Jewish life in the UK, alongside historical dramas and artists’ work exploring the 20th century Jewish experience. The earliest surviving depictions of Jewish characters in British cinema offer a troubling insight into antisemitic representation, yet prejudice was later tackled head-on, with newsreels documenting the anti-fascist movement of the 1930s.

Drop in on joyous family weddings and community gatherings, and see the ways in which UK Jewry supported Jews young and old, and those fleeing persecution, in a selection of fascinating films from the 1900s to the 1980s.

This collection is generously supported by the Neil Kreitman Foundation, Shoresh Charitable Trust, John S Cohen Foundation, and Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation.