A Jewish group has been barred from a 90th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Holbeck Moor, when Oswald Mosley’s fascists were chased out of Leeds, because they ‘platformed a Reform speaker’.
Stop The Hate Leeds, a pro-Israel campaign group, was told its presence at Sunday’s event would be ‘divisive’ due to its members’ political views.
Organiser Philip Marks said he was devastated because his father Eric and grandfather Howard were involved in the 1936 clash.
‘The organisers have told us they consider our members far-right because they support Reform,’ he said.
‘It’s deeply disappointing that only Jewish people of a certain political persuasion can attend. Can you imagine any other group being told what political views they can and can’t have?
‘Our members are really upset. The Battle of Holbeck Moor is directly related to many Jewish families in Leeds. They stood up for liberal democracy in this country.’
The Battle of Holbeck Moor took place in Leeds on September 27 1936, when Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists (BUF) held a rally in the city.
Thousands of protesters stood against Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts in Leeds
Mosley tried to address his supporters but was drowned out and ultimately forced to retreat
A blue plaque commemorating the Battle of Holbeck Moor was unveiled in Leeds in 2024
Around 1,000 Blackshirts marched to Holbeck Moor, where they were met by an anti-fascist crowd estimated at 30,000 people organised by the Communist Party.
Mosley tried to address his supporters, but protesters drowned him out by singing The Red Flag and shouting. The confrontation then turned violent, with protesters throwing stones at the Blackshirts. Eventually, the BUF was forced to retreat from the moor.
The anniversary event, which will include a march through Leeds, is being organised by the local branch of Stand Up To Racism.
In an email to the group, Stop The Hate Leeds said it intended to attend the march ‘with our own flags and banners, as an expression of our identity and of our community’s direct connection to the history being commemorated’.
On Thursday, Stand Up To Racism replied saying: ‘You have shown to not support SUTR and have welcomed Reform officials to your events. You also support a far right government in Israel conducting a genocide in Gaza.
‘We want to unite people against the far right and feel that your presence as an organisation would be divisive and we will regard it as countering our event.
‘In light of this we would respectfully request that you do not attend the event as an organisation and hope you can appreciate the reasons why.’
Mr Marks denied that his group had ever hosted a Reform speaker and distanced himself from a national pro-Israel organisation called Stop The Hate UK.
In a statement, Stand Up To Racism Leeds said it would welcome involvement from people like Mr Marks whose families were involved in the Battle of Holbeck Moor. However, it would not welcome Stop The Hate as a group.
‘We also reassert our unwavering commitment to opposing antisemitism from the 1930s to today,’ the statement added.
