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We Fight Fascists: The 43 Group and Their Forgotten Battle for Post War Britain
The “inspiring,” little-known history of the Jewish vigilantes of the 43 Group, who fought fascism in Britain following World War II ( Guardian ).
Returning to civilian life, at the close of the Second World War, a group of Jewish veterans discovered that, for all their effort and sacrifice, their fight was not yet done. Creeping back onto the streets were Britain’s homegrown fascists, directed from the shadows by Sir Oswald Mosley. Horrified that the authorities refused to act, forty-three Jewish ex-servicemen and women resolved to take matters into their own hands. In 1946, they founded the 43 Group and let it be known that they were willing to stop the far-right resurgence by any means necessary.
Their numbers quickly swelled. Joining the battle-hardened ex-servicemen in smashing up fascist meetings were younger Jews, including hairdresser Vidal Sassoon, and gentiles as well, some of whom volunteered to infiltrate fascist organizations. The Group published its own newspaper, conducted covert operations, and was able to muster a powerful force of hundreds of fighters who quickly turned fascist street meetings into mass brawls. The struggle peaked in the summer of 1947 with the Battle of Ridley Road, where thousands descended on the Hackney market to participate in weekly riots.
The history of the 43 Group is not just a gripping story of a forgotten moment in Britain’s post-war history; it is also a timely lesson in how to confront fascism—and how to win.
Returning to civilian life, at the close of the Second World War, a group of Jewish veterans discovered that, for all their effort and sacrifice, their fight was not yet done. Creeping back onto the streets were Britain’s homegrown fascists, directed from the shadows by Sir Oswald Mosley. Horrified that the authorities refused to act, forty-three Jewish ex-servicemen and women resolved to take matters into their own hands. In 1946, they founded the 43 Group and let it be known that they were willing to stop the far-right resurgence by any means necessary.
Their numbers quickly swelled. Joining the battle-hardened ex-servicemen in smashing up fascist meetings were younger Jews, including hairdresser Vidal Sassoon, and gentiles as well, some of whom volunteered to infiltrate fascist organizations. The Group published its own newspaper, conducted covert operations, and was able to muster a powerful force of hundreds of fighters who quickly turned fascist street meetings into mass brawls. The struggle peaked in the summer of 1947 with the Battle of Ridley Road, where thousands descended on the Hackney market to participate in weekly riots.
The history of the 43 Group is not just a gripping story of a forgotten moment in Britain’s post-war history; it is also a timely lesson in how to confront fascism—and how to win.
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 22, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 10, 2020
The story of young men and women coming out of the fog of world war 2 to find that their fight was not yet over. The fascist groups which had been dormant during the war attempted to make a return and young Jewish Britons were determined to stop them. This book tells the story of the mostly forgotten 43 group who organised to fill the void left by traditional Jewish organisations, unwilling to meet the fascist resurgence in the streets.
This book is a timely reminder that never again means stopping fascism before it takes hold, to be proactive and not reactive. This book focuses its lens on a time and subject not often discussed, the WWII sections of history books most often give way to German partition, the cold war, and the baby boom. Despite the group most impacted by the war being the Jews, we don't often see their perspective outside of the camps.
Here we see young Jews react to the horrors of the war by becoming determined to fight as hard as needed and to change the gentile notions of Jews as passive and handy scapegoats.
Well written, this book is in turn funny, insightful, and infuriating. Besides learning how to turn potatoes into deadly weapons, you can also learn about the celebrity hairstylist Vidal Sassoon's youthful brawls, how catty fascists can get, and who introduced Karaoke to Britain.
This book is a timely reminder that never again means stopping fascism before it takes hold, to be proactive and not reactive. This book focuses its lens on a time and subject not often discussed, the WWII sections of history books most often give way to German partition, the cold war, and the baby boom. Despite the group most impacted by the war being the Jews, we don't often see their perspective outside of the camps.
Here we see young Jews react to the horrors of the war by becoming determined to fight as hard as needed and to change the gentile notions of Jews as passive and handy scapegoats.
Well written, this book is in turn funny, insightful, and infuriating. Besides learning how to turn potatoes into deadly weapons, you can also learn about the celebrity hairstylist Vidal Sassoon's youthful brawls, how catty fascists can get, and who introduced Karaoke to Britain.
February 4, 2020
Before this books, I don’t think I’d ever thought about fascism directly after World War 2. In retrospect, it’s obvious fascism would still exist right after World War 2, but I guess I never really considered it. This book was very informative about a time in history I did not know about, and I’m not going to lie, hearing about fascists getting beat up is slightly cathartic. If you are in anyway interested in the subject matter, I’d recommend at least checking this book out. However, the book was not perfect. The ending felt a little stretched out, and at times there would be weird time skips that seemed to mostly serve to confuse me, I think that parts of it could be ordered in a clearer manner. Also, I think at one point a swear word was censored, and, why? Just, why? I’m reading a book about fascists getting beat up my sensibilities won’t be offended by a swear word. All in all, I found it an good and informative book and I hope to do further research on this time period.
September 23, 2020
Interesting history of a group of ex-British servicemen fighting fascism in the streets of England in the post war period. Although the writing is weak at times and the editing, at least of the ebook I was reading, is poor in places, it does portray a slice of history not generally known. The afterword is the strongest chapter, clearly showing why this group was important.
September 4, 2022
I knew about the Battle of Cable Street and the opposition to Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirts in the East End in the 1930s. What I didn't know, and I bet you didn't either, was that Mosley enjoyed an upsurge in support after the war! In this book about a successful antifascist struggle, Sonabend explains how fascists tried to regain their pre-war support by capitalizing on the discontent in Britain in the period of post-war rationing. In addition, the Irgun's terror attacks on British soldiers in Palestine were a good pretext for more antisemitism. Jewish military veterans in the 1940s were not going to take this lying down. They formed an antifascist organization, the 43 Group, and set about interrupting the fascists in every way they could. This included heckling, shouting them down, assaulting and beating them, and just generally fighting them. Jewish teens who had been too young to fight in the war joined them. It was a coalition of antifascists and it was effective.
The hidden history of the resurgence of fascism in this period and the successful campaign to defeat it is engaging. You gotta love these working class Jewish guys, especially when they say things like, "We didn't come to kill. We came to maim!" I don't know whether fighting violence with violence is the answer. But it seems clear that it's worth fighting it with something. Closing our eyes and waiting for it to go away didn't work in this period and I think it won't work now either. I'm sorry that the author didn't get to make the TV show he was planning when he started this project, but the book was pretty great and you should read it.
August 6, 2020
This was a very detailed historical account of the 43 Group's violent battle to keep fascist provocateurs in their box in England and focuses most closely on East London (Bethnal Green) and Hackney. It contrasts the "appeasement", head-in-the-sand approach of more mainstream Jewish community organisations with the fists-on bravery of the 43 Group and makes a case for this approach in the context of post-Holocaust Europe which I found convincing. To be honest, although I'm a physical coward and pants in a fight, "acquaint their heads" with the pavement, as a friend used to say to me in the context of opposing the Brick Lane Fascist paper sales in the late 80s and early 90s, had always seemed a convincing argument. Sonabend is right to say that there are some people there is no reasoning with.
On the negative side, there was a huge amount of detail in the book in terms of a huge number of specific meetings that were disrupted with how many of each side turned up and many of the events were a bit samey. The general reader might prefer a little less of this detail though specialist readers might find this a great source of data. There was some political context around the war and Moseley's ideological trajectory but I would have liked to see more of this or more biography around individual 43 Group members.
Having said that, the books final chapters were great, fleshing out mini-biogs of some of the activists after the group provided some light relief and Sonabend's account of the evolution of the far-right parties of the 40s and 50s into those which prevailed by the 1980s and their shift in focus from anti-semitism to challenging the rights of immigrants from ex-colonial countries feels very relevant today.
The books ends with an eloquent and moving call for the anti-fascists of all colours to set aside their differences and unite to monitor and challenge the current fascist scene. Like the Hydra, far-right groups constantly shape-shift and sprout new heads and the fight against them has never been as important. For those of us frightened to challenge the far-right mobs that roam our British, European and American cities the 43 Group are a beacon of physical courage we might not be able to emulate but we can all continue the fight in our everyday lives and remain ever-vigilant of the fascist threat to the rainbow world of diversity we are trying to create and live.
On the negative side, there was a huge amount of detail in the book in terms of a huge number of specific meetings that were disrupted with how many of each side turned up and many of the events were a bit samey. The general reader might prefer a little less of this detail though specialist readers might find this a great source of data. There was some political context around the war and Moseley's ideological trajectory but I would have liked to see more of this or more biography around individual 43 Group members.
Having said that, the books final chapters were great, fleshing out mini-biogs of some of the activists after the group provided some light relief and Sonabend's account of the evolution of the far-right parties of the 40s and 50s into those which prevailed by the 1980s and their shift in focus from anti-semitism to challenging the rights of immigrants from ex-colonial countries feels very relevant today.
The books ends with an eloquent and moving call for the anti-fascists of all colours to set aside their differences and unite to monitor and challenge the current fascist scene. Like the Hydra, far-right groups constantly shape-shift and sprout new heads and the fight against them has never been as important. For those of us frightened to challenge the far-right mobs that roam our British, European and American cities the 43 Group are a beacon of physical courage we might not be able to emulate but we can all continue the fight in our everyday lives and remain ever-vigilant of the fascist threat to the rainbow world of diversity we are trying to create and live.
December 29, 2019
The persistence of fascism
This is a book that deals with a much neglected episode in history that illustrates the pervasiveness of fascism and anti-Semitism even after the horrors perpetrated by its followers during the Second World War. It took place in England against the background of the British struggle against the Jews in Palestine. The Jews in England led the resistance against the supporters of Oswald Mosley by confronting pro-fascists on the streets meeting violence with violence and accepting repeated arrest and discrimination. Their forgotten victory contains, as the author maintains, lessons that are particularly important for today as we witness the resurgence of fascist ideology on a world scale.
This is a book that deals with a much neglected episode in history that illustrates the pervasiveness of fascism and anti-Semitism even after the horrors perpetrated by its followers during the Second World War. It took place in England against the background of the British struggle against the Jews in Palestine. The Jews in England led the resistance against the supporters of Oswald Mosley by confronting pro-fascists on the streets meeting violence with violence and accepting repeated arrest and discrimination. Their forgotten victory contains, as the author maintains, lessons that are particularly important for today as we witness the resurgence of fascist ideology on a world scale.
December 8, 2022
fascinating subject matter, clearly well researched but I didn’t gel with Sonabend’s style of delivery, as well as finding frequent editorial mistakes which confused the prose.
the final chapter, afterword and detailed footnotes brought up my overall enjoyment of this book - I’ll be using the footnotes as a starting point for further reading!
the final chapter, afterword and detailed footnotes brought up my overall enjoyment of this book - I’ll be using the footnotes as a starting point for further reading!
August 25, 2025
September 2, 1945 marked the end of World War II. With it, fascism came to an end. Or at least that’s how we like to think of it. It is easier to view the fascist movements that sprung up worldwide in the 1920s and 1930s as things confined to the pre-world war world, ones that do not survive the end of the war, neatly constrained to the Axis Powers, vanquished along with their governments. These are the notions that Daniel Sonabend challenges in We Fight Fascists: The 43 Group and Their Forgotten Battle for Post-war Britain.
We Fight Fascists follows the story of the 43 Group, a Jewish-lead militant anti-fascist organisation, from its inception to its eventual dissolution. It challenges our assumptions about the influence of fascism and the fight against fascism in Europe, as it begins after WWII has ended, and follows a fight that is predominantly carried out on the streets of London. Not only that, because of the militant nature of the Group it also challenges our views on violence, by reframing it as not just a tool of oppression and control but one of resistance and civil liberty. This is one of the most radical aspects of the Group and what sets it apart from other anti-fscist organizations of the time period. It also continues the historic trend that the fight for civil rights includes the combination of violent and non-violent means of resistance. Yet the Group’s belief in violence did not make them very popular with their anti-fascist contemporaries, which has been a key challenge to their historical legacy.
As very little writing has been done on the 43 Group, the majority of the information has been found by Sonabend primarily through primary sources, in the form of periodicals from the time period or interviews with members of the Group conducted by Sonabend. It is a revolutionary work in that sense, as it shines light on a history that could otherwise have been lost. This also means that the text feels highly narrative as Sonabend is unable to pull from extensive analysis, as very little exists on the subject. He does his best to address the limitations of primary sources, specifically their unreliability, by providing multiple, often contradictory, accounts of situations. He also attempts to combat the lack of secondary sources by highlighting the opinions of other historians in relation to wider discussions about the time period. These discussions feel clunky at times, especially as they usually follow a very explicit and direct comparison of historians' opinions. This combination lends an almost juvenile feel to the analysis, reminding me of an essay submitted for a high school history class. Additionally, he first collected the material with the idea to make a film and I think that this shows. Overall, this leads to a strong narrative element, with limited analysis.
This is compounded by the fact that Sonabend often states his analysis and opinion as facts. An example of this is found on page 173 of my edition where Sonabend states “Mosley was clear-sighted enough to see the dangers, but his gargantuan hubris convinced him that only he could save the day”. No evidence is explicitly provided for this characterisation, instead it is simply treated as a literary flair of the author. While narrativization has a role when discussing historical events, it can’t be at the expense of historiography. Opinions like this need to be backed by historical analysis and not thrown in and never addressed. The narrative must always serve to facilitate analysis, not to substitute it.
Overall, We Fight Fascists is an incredible example of revolutionary historical work, shining light on a previously forgotten movement that existed in current memory and reframing events in post-war Britain. It addresses a fundamental gap in the historical literature of the period, demonstrating how dynamic history can be as a field. Thus showing us that history is a web of complex narratives, not one grand overarching force and that individual people can have incredible power in shaping the reality in which we live. If you are interested in post-war Europe, the rise of fascism or the resistance to fascism, especially from a Jewish perspective, I would highly encourage you to pick up We Fight Fascists: The 43 Group and Their Forgotten Battle for Post-war Britain.
If you enjoyed my review consider checking out my Substack to stay up to date with my reviews and bookish opinions.
We Fight Fascists follows the story of the 43 Group, a Jewish-lead militant anti-fascist organisation, from its inception to its eventual dissolution. It challenges our assumptions about the influence of fascism and the fight against fascism in Europe, as it begins after WWII has ended, and follows a fight that is predominantly carried out on the streets of London. Not only that, because of the militant nature of the Group it also challenges our views on violence, by reframing it as not just a tool of oppression and control but one of resistance and civil liberty. This is one of the most radical aspects of the Group and what sets it apart from other anti-fscist organizations of the time period. It also continues the historic trend that the fight for civil rights includes the combination of violent and non-violent means of resistance. Yet the Group’s belief in violence did not make them very popular with their anti-fascist contemporaries, which has been a key challenge to their historical legacy.
As very little writing has been done on the 43 Group, the majority of the information has been found by Sonabend primarily through primary sources, in the form of periodicals from the time period or interviews with members of the Group conducted by Sonabend. It is a revolutionary work in that sense, as it shines light on a history that could otherwise have been lost. This also means that the text feels highly narrative as Sonabend is unable to pull from extensive analysis, as very little exists on the subject. He does his best to address the limitations of primary sources, specifically their unreliability, by providing multiple, often contradictory, accounts of situations. He also attempts to combat the lack of secondary sources by highlighting the opinions of other historians in relation to wider discussions about the time period. These discussions feel clunky at times, especially as they usually follow a very explicit and direct comparison of historians' opinions. This combination lends an almost juvenile feel to the analysis, reminding me of an essay submitted for a high school history class. Additionally, he first collected the material with the idea to make a film and I think that this shows. Overall, this leads to a strong narrative element, with limited analysis.
This is compounded by the fact that Sonabend often states his analysis and opinion as facts. An example of this is found on page 173 of my edition where Sonabend states “Mosley was clear-sighted enough to see the dangers, but his gargantuan hubris convinced him that only he could save the day”. No evidence is explicitly provided for this characterisation, instead it is simply treated as a literary flair of the author. While narrativization has a role when discussing historical events, it can’t be at the expense of historiography. Opinions like this need to be backed by historical analysis and not thrown in and never addressed. The narrative must always serve to facilitate analysis, not to substitute it.
Overall, We Fight Fascists is an incredible example of revolutionary historical work, shining light on a previously forgotten movement that existed in current memory and reframing events in post-war Britain. It addresses a fundamental gap in the historical literature of the period, demonstrating how dynamic history can be as a field. Thus showing us that history is a web of complex narratives, not one grand overarching force and that individual people can have incredible power in shaping the reality in which we live. If you are interested in post-war Europe, the rise of fascism or the resistance to fascism, especially from a Jewish perspective, I would highly encourage you to pick up We Fight Fascists: The 43 Group and Their Forgotten Battle for Post-war Britain.
If you enjoyed my review consider checking out my Substack to stay up to date with my reviews and bookish opinions.
February 11, 2023
An entertaining and fascinating book in many respects. The 43 Group was clearly a sophisticated and effective organisation, and the bravery of ingenuity of many its members is beyond dispute. Unfortunately however, the obvious fact that most of it's members were Zionists is a queasy undercurrent the author does little to address, or even appears to approve of.
Sonabend claims that politics were meant to be left at the door in the 43 Group, that anti-fascism was the sole focus, and yet contradicts himself by admitting that the 43 Group allowed Zionist agencies to recruit members to fight in Palestine, among other clear expressions of zionist politics by the organisation.
We are told that anti-zionists were present in the organisation but little evidence is proferred. We are given loving portraits of ex 43 Group fighters heading off to fight for the 'Jewish State'. Vidal Sassoon is shown as a heroic anti-fascist whose struggle in Britain and then in ethnically cleansing Palestine is presented as a continuity.
It would have been interesting at least to examine the inherent contradictions between opposing genocide in Europe but supporting it in Palestine. Such an account would have been more honest as well. Sadly the authors clear agreement with Zionism prevents it. That men abandoned the struggle against fascism in Britain to go off and clear Palestine of arabs should be presented as a tragic farce rather than the wistful tone the author adopts.
Its rather indicative of the general toleration for Zionism in Britain, even on the left, that this aspect of the book has been rarely commented on. Verso has form in publishing books that are soft on Zionism.
Sonabend argues that zionists and anti-zionists should unite against fascism. For those who follow the consequences of Zionist occupation in Palestine and the continuing murder and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people, this is an absurdity. Whatever rosy notions may have existed in the 1940s, it's should be clear at this point that "Israel" is a settler-colonial state propped up by a quasi-fascist ideology.
Sonabend claims that politics were meant to be left at the door in the 43 Group, that anti-fascism was the sole focus, and yet contradicts himself by admitting that the 43 Group allowed Zionist agencies to recruit members to fight in Palestine, among other clear expressions of zionist politics by the organisation.
We are told that anti-zionists were present in the organisation but little evidence is proferred. We are given loving portraits of ex 43 Group fighters heading off to fight for the 'Jewish State'. Vidal Sassoon is shown as a heroic anti-fascist whose struggle in Britain and then in ethnically cleansing Palestine is presented as a continuity.
It would have been interesting at least to examine the inherent contradictions between opposing genocide in Europe but supporting it in Palestine. Such an account would have been more honest as well. Sadly the authors clear agreement with Zionism prevents it. That men abandoned the struggle against fascism in Britain to go off and clear Palestine of arabs should be presented as a tragic farce rather than the wistful tone the author adopts.
Its rather indicative of the general toleration for Zionism in Britain, even on the left, that this aspect of the book has been rarely commented on. Verso has form in publishing books that are soft on Zionism.
Sonabend argues that zionists and anti-zionists should unite against fascism. For those who follow the consequences of Zionist occupation in Palestine and the continuing murder and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people, this is an absurdity. Whatever rosy notions may have existed in the 1940s, it's should be clear at this point that "Israel" is a settler-colonial state propped up by a quasi-fascist ideology.
January 23, 2021
Really amazing stuff. Great book about a forgotten (maybe not anymore!) part of London's history. Lots of the action happens across the road from where (pre-pandemic) I used to go for a roast every week, so it was cool having a personal reference point.
The stuff around Ridley Road really mad, having to give overnight speeches to a non-existent crowd in order to legally claim the turf for speaking at the next day and stop a Union of Fascists speaker getting it, just pure chaos.
Don't really know how to articulate this but for all the talk of the British Left being "mass politics" (and I think there was a small turn towards that in the last few years), it's totally night and day in that "street politics" in the 40's happened in places like Dalston, Hackney, places where people actually live, vs today where this kind of thing would have happened EXCLUSIVELY in the stretch of road from Oxford Circus to Westminister on an organised demo where people "Do Politics". Much more artificial.
The stuff around Ridley Road really mad, having to give overnight speeches to a non-existent crowd in order to legally claim the turf for speaking at the next day and stop a Union of Fascists speaker getting it, just pure chaos.
Don't really know how to articulate this but for all the talk of the British Left being "mass politics" (and I think there was a small turn towards that in the last few years), it's totally night and day in that "street politics" in the 40's happened in places like Dalston, Hackney, places where people actually live, vs today where this kind of thing would have happened EXCLUSIVELY in the stretch of road from Oxford Circus to Westminister on an organised demo where people "Do Politics". Much more artificial.
January 16, 2023
I had no idea about this incredible group of people who fought so relentlessly for freedom. Who took the lessons from the previous decade in a Europe and responded. It’s a clear call to not assume that even after the most heinous acts of horror that lessons are learned through war and through the near loss of liberty
July 24, 2025
Great book about a small anti-fascist group in Britain that prevented the spread of fascism in post-war Britain. I particularly enjoyed the parts of the book that showed how the Communist Party of Great Britain were heavily involved with anti-fascism. Naturally the best parts were the parts about fascists being attacked.
August 11, 2020
detailed and well-researched, but very readable. it manages to go beyond the more sensational aspects Sonabend mentions in his introduction, and avoids being a litany of fights and skirmishes. i do wish books wouldn't mix their references and footnotes though.
July 26, 2024
An awesome and encouraging book about hurting and terrorizing fascists and antisemites.
October 9, 2024
There are bits where it reads a bit too much like a textbook, but overall, an interesting and thought-provoking story.
January 18, 2025
The last few pages when this book remembers there's more to itself than a play by play the writing is so much more engaging than most of the rest.
June 10, 2025
Very interesting, and necessary reminder of the widespread presence of European fascism post ww2
October 17, 2024
Powerfully opening with Group member Morris Beckman ‘getting a kicking’ from a couple of fascists in a street brawl, before leaping over a wall and realising he’s out of the frying pan into the fire: surrounded by an even larger group of right-wingers, until pal Gerry Flamberg arrives to rescue him and they fight them off. Sonabend then details his path from knowing nothing about this post-war Jewish anti-fascist organisation to having it absorb him completely. A call from a friend who had been watching a documentary about 60s hairdressing sensation Vidal Sassoon and his involvement with the 43 Group sets the writer’s curiosity ablaze.
We Fight Fascists is definitely my favourite nonfiction read of 2020 and I recommend it without hesitation to anyone who loves what Sonabend calls the ‘things which give life its rich colour,’ which fascists seek to tear down. Fascism is ultimately always a destructive ideology, one that only wins by turning its opponents against each other. It bears repeating that Jews and the left can only win by fighting antisemitism and fascism together. That is the lesson of the 43 Group: some of them were relatively conservative, others were more left wing, still others were communists. Some brought brawn, others brains. The Group worked because it pulled together despite these differences.
Read my full review - and many more! - at my site ten million hardbacks
We Fight Fascists is definitely my favourite nonfiction read of 2020 and I recommend it without hesitation to anyone who loves what Sonabend calls the ‘things which give life its rich colour,’ which fascists seek to tear down. Fascism is ultimately always a destructive ideology, one that only wins by turning its opponents against each other. It bears repeating that Jews and the left can only win by fighting antisemitism and fascism together. That is the lesson of the 43 Group: some of them were relatively conservative, others were more left wing, still others were communists. Some brought brawn, others brains. The Group worked because it pulled together despite these differences.
Read my full review - and many more! - at my site ten million hardbacks
February 27, 2023
Wonderfully written and important
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews