SIR OSWALD MOSLEY AGAIN.

Evening Star, Issue 22462, 6 October 1936, Page 8

SIR OSWALD MOSLEY AGAIN.

Sir Oswald Mosley, that man of many parts and postures, had been very little in the news till events of Sunday last brought him back into them sensationally. One might have thought that his Fascists had all evaporated and been forgotten. But the history of his movement has always been one of long spells of comparative quiescence—more or less unobtrusive drillings, salutes, and orations, probably, with which the public has been unconcerned followed by fierce bursts of excitement. It is more than two years now since the disturbance at Olympia filled sane people with disgust and anger, and there had been nothing on the same scale till this week. The disturbances on Sunday were lively enough while they lasted, and the authorities will quite certainly get their share of criticism for what happened. • A Fascist march in the East End of London had been announced, and five local mayors requested that it should be prohibited by the Home Office on tho ground that it would be certain to make trouble if it were held. Their request was supported by a Jewish petition with 100,000 signatures—for Sir Oswald follows his exemplar Hitler not least in his denunciation of the Jews—and supported also by the representations of friendly societies, trade unions, and ex-servicemen. The Home Office refused to veto the procession, but all the police were kept on duty. Trouble broke out, owing to tho opposition of anti-Fascists, before tho procession began. There were counter-meetings of Communists, and the march, as it had been originally announced, was belatedly banned. There were sixty-three arrests made during the day for obstruction and assault, and each extremist party blames the authorities for showing special favour to its opponents. When the Fascist demonstration was held at Olympia, and opponents who had gathered to upset it were ejected with the most violent force, while a free fight took place outside the building, tw-enty-three arrests were made. The police were not present when the ejections took place inside. The Minister explained that, except on a request, or unless there was good reason to believe that a breach of the peace wag being committed, it was no part of police duties to enter premises where public meetings were being held. The British policy has been to_ allow the greatest' freedom for both meetings and processions, and not to assume lawlessness until it is displayed, though precautions may be taken for the restraint of lawlessness should it begin. In this instance, as in some others, prevention would have been better than cure, but the smallest case is made for either Fascism or Communism when every side has free scope to express its views just so long as acts of violence are avoided. After the Olympia excesses one member of Parliament dedeclared that public nausea had killed Sir Oswald Mosley’s movement in a single night. It has not shown any marked vitality since. Sir Oswald may have thought that the present was a good timo for reviving it, when all Europe is in a state 'of ferment, but there have been some statements, notably from. Germany and Italy, which might indicate that Europe is calming down, except in Spain, aghast at the dangers that it was rushing into. Compared with the troubles of other countries, Sir Oswald Mosley’s Fascism has been no more than a small nuisance in Britain, but it is a nuisance that would be much better ended.