The 43 group was a Jewish antifascist group in England, consisting for a large part of people who had served in the war against Nazi Germany, only to find that fascism was alive and well in their own countryΒ when they came back home.Β These are some of the people who helped destroy Mosleyβs Union Movement in the 1940β²s. From this amazingΒ [documentary]
No platform for Fascists! Not in the 1940β²s, not in 2017!
The 43 Group The Unfinished War
60,000 British Jews fought in World War II. Every year, one week after the Rememberance Sunday march, Jewish ex-servicemen and women hold their own memorial service at the Cenotaph. For some of these marchers the fight against fascism continued in London after the war.
Rabbi Leslie Hardman was present at the liberation of Belsen.
βWe took an oath there, as I was burying the people. I said to myself: βNever againββHow did you feel when you saw fascism on the streets of post-war London?
βIf the Nazis had won the war, the English fascists would have been the people knocking on our door and taking us away.β
βThis we decided: βWe have got to do something about it.β And we did.β
βWe said: βRight, noones going to stop themβ¦ So weβll bloody well stop them.ββ
βWe decided to form an organisation, and launch an all-out, non-stop attack on the emerging fascist party. Our aim and object was to expose itβ¦ And then to destroy it.βThe 43 group fights fascism today.
By late 1946, there were at least 40 fascist meetings a week taking place in London
ββUp with Mosley!β βKill all the yids!β And this was provocation, so we used to go towards the platform. And we never walked towards fascists, we ran at them.β
βHit them hard, wherever we could. Really hit them hard.β
‘That was how we worked: Destroy their meetings and not give them a chance to spout their filth.βBRIGHTON
‘There was supposed to be this really big fascist march, and when we got there, there was one policeman.β
‘That was a fantastic day, that was.β
‘So we had the opportunity to attack them, without them having any police protection.β
‘We virtually destroyed them that day. I donβt think they ever recovered from that.βWhat was the best thing about being in the group?
‘Fighting for a purpose.β
‘The 43 Group, without any question of doubt, were mainly responsible for the destruction of Mosley and his group.β
‘Iβm not sorry for what I did. On the contrary, I am very pleased with it. Because somebody had to do it.β









