Discrimination

These accounts tell of the discrimination experienced by different groups of immigrants living in London's East End, showing how people have fought racism and fascism together, notably in the Battle of Cable Street, as well as on an individual level - in the classroom, the workplace and the street.

Bill Fishman talks about areas where it was safe for Jews to walk in the 1930s but other areas which it was wise to avoid

"One always felt safe within that area, the East End, until about 1933, 1934. And certainly from St George's up to about the Troxy in Commercial Road and to Aldgate, it was a pretty safe area. But if you got towards Bethnal Green, if we went to Victoria Park on weekends to watch the cricket or football, you never went solo. You went in twos or threes because inevitably you find fascist kids hurling abuse at you or even attacking you. They used to shout out, 'Hep, hep, Jerusalem es perdita.' or 'PJ!' which means Perish Judah.

It was before Mosley. There was a mile, up to about Burdett Road, where you were pretty safe. There was, very little, you know, racism, anti-Semitism, I remember. It was when Mosley came in, in my teens, that I saw the atmosphere change. Dramatically.

At the Battle of Cable Street, who was it who formed the vanguard with some of the bearded Jews, to stop Mosley? Irish dockers! I remember it. Irish dockers were the vanguard that helped to stop Mosley. Of course, many of them were also communists and Labour supporters. They pulled up the pavement and built barricades."

Isaac 'Sidney' Kirch talks about the Battle of Cable Street and similar trouble in Ridley Road after the Second World War

"Well, there was a feeling of 'Jewishness' there, because we occupied a lot of space. Nevertheless, at that time, anti-Semitism was also ripe. And when I used to come down Cleveland Street I would have to pass two or three pubs. And I was always careful to cross the road when there were a lot of these drinkers outside, because they'd come out with some remarks you know. And the kids would shout after us as well - after me anyway. They'd say, 'You killed Christ!' you know, things like that. They'd run down, get out of a car and start writing on the pavement. And if we were there, we'd chase them and they'd quickly get back in the car and run off again. But there was no fighting.

The only fight that happened was when Mosley tried to come through the East End. The Battle of Cable Street. I was there. I must have been 16 or 17. A terrific crowd - you could only see a sea of heads! And there was the police on horses and they were trying to push the crowd back by these horses, but the frontliners were repelling them by putting marbles and things on the road. And in actual Cable Street itself, they actually pulled up the pavement and built barricades. And in the end, the police just gave up.You know, that turned them back.

But we still had similar trouble in Ridley Road, after the War. They were still alive and still think they could continue. I was there in that one, right in the middle of it. I had a policeman pushing me into a doorway with his horse."

Tracie Giles from the Traveller community talks about being under attack from local residents in the tower blocks in
Bow

"I remember another time quite vividly. This was very scary. I think I was about seven or eight. We broke into a camp next to a cemetery in Bow and there was quite a lot of Travellers there at the time. And we went there in the evening time sort of five or six o'clock time. We all camped out and put our caravan jacks down, got the water churns off and put your step out and sort of got ourselves all settled if you like. Then when we were in bed at 12 o'clock at night bricks start coming over from the graveyard wall. Because we were literally by the side of the graveyard. We started getting pelted by the local residents in the tower block. They started throwing petrol bombs and throwing sticks. You know what I mean? They sort of like bombarded us. Then the police came. We had to move in the middle of the night. I remember that. It was quite frightening because a brick came through and smashed out one of my relative's trailer windows and the kids was in bed at the time. I remember that. It was really scary."

Suriya Turner talks about intimidation by the National Front during the 1970s in Canning Town

"Canning Town, we lived in a block of flats there. And I pretty much hated to suddenly find myself in this place that was quite grim for me compared to Antigua. It felt very alien right from the word go. People weren't that especially friendly.

This was in the 1970s and National Front were quite strong in that area. NL was daubed in quite a few places and you get called names. This wasn't necessarily directed at me because I was what five or six, but it was round me so I was very conscious of that. And I remember the National Front were marching as well so there were a few times we had to bolt our doors in the flat where we were.

So I was very glad to get out of all that to Custom House which is a newer sort of... development. We had a house instead of a flat and we all got to know each other. So it just felt a lot sort of friendlier and I liked living in the house. Yeah not so harsh, not so harsh."

Akbar Ali talks about his nursery teachers suggesting he adopt an English name so that he would integrate better into the nursery class

"When I started nursery the teachers suggested that I should have an English name to make it easier to get along with the other kids and for them to get along with me. At that time I was the only Asian in the nursery so I was called Robert instead of Akbar. While I was using Robert as my first name I did notice white children acting differently towards me compared to other Bangladeshi children. There was definitely a lot less racism directed towards me. Children were a lot more friendlier towards me. I mean some of them even thought I was English. I was even treated differently by other Asian children. In school I was Robert and at home I was Akbar and so for a while I had two lives.

But from the age of 13 we had to choose our options of what we would be studying so it was decided to use Akbar instead of Robert. There was a slight change you know. A lot more of my friends were becoming Asian but I think that was partly because there were a lot more Asian people coming into school and it made it easier for me to get along with them. Some old friends still call me Robert. My brother sort of still calls me Rob. Even my Mum uses it once in a while sort of teasingly.

I think it is a lot more important to me to use Akbar rather than Robert."

Tracie Giles talks about the racism she experienced as a child at school

"If we were booked in school and no one never knew that we were Gypsies, we would fit in. I personally don't like the word Gypsy because of the amount of racism I faced as a child. I like to be called a Traveller but I know that we are Gypsies. We are Gypsies / Travellers. It's the same thing. But when I was a child I hated being called it so much by the border children in school. I hated that word. I didn't hate my culture because I am very proud of the fact that I am a Traveller. But that word I could not stand it because I was called it so many times. They always assume that Gypsies are dirty. That is another thing that amazes me. 'Stinky gypo. Stinky gypo.'

I remember the teacher saying one day, this girl calling me and my friend a stinky tinker or dirty Gypsy or something. I remember my teacher, I was so proud of what she said, she said to this girl, 'Look at the state of you then. Look at the state of your shoes. Look at the state of your hair and your clothes and look at Tracie. Tracie lives in a caravan. She hasn't got a bathroom and she is immaculate.' I will never forget that. Do you know what I mean? She was saying exactly what I am saying now. It does not mean that because you are a Traveller you are dirty or less of a person. In fact I think Travellers, most of them, are very immaculate people. Cleanliness is very very important to us."

Akhtar Miah talks about how Bengali culture is now encouraged and respected in schools

"Well basically education is more accessible now teachers understand more about the Bengali culture. A whole generation of Bengalis have gone through school in Tower Hamlets so they are now aware of the cultural heritage of Bengalis and they try to encourage it now as before they did not understand it let alone encourage it. So basically they know we are Bangladeshis, they know where the Indian subcontinent is, they know how to teach Bengali kids knowing they have to learn Arabic for religious reasons or they speak another language at home.

I personally felt I lost a lot of my cultural heritage this way and I only caught up with it recently when I married and I had my own children. There wasn't the safety net for children. There were a lot of children who had problems which did not go through proper channels like ESL. It helps people learn English a lot quicker than they used to before and this is I think a very good thing."

Akhtar Miah, born in Mile End hospital in 1970, gives an example of communities living and working together in harmony when he was growing up

"I can't say that I ever noticed racism. I am not sure if nowadays it is getting harder or you know there is more racism but at that time there was virtually no racism. Like Mum could not speak English and she did all the shopping. She took us to school and brought us home. I mean Pauline, Jane and Mark's mum used to take us to school and bring us back lots of time. Basically it was a nice little area we lived in. There was Kitty and another lady and they were pensioners and they used to love us so you know it was a very pleasant childhood.

I don't think I would like to live anywhere else."

Akbar Ali compares the racism of the 1970s and 1980s with the early 21st century

"It's like 'EastEnders' is a bit exaggerated and it is not very true to life. I do enjoy the East End, I don't think I would like to live anywhere else. I can't really see myself moving away from the area. I find it really comfortable living in this area.

There is a big Asian community here. It is a lot more cosmopolitan than it is say from the 1970s and the 1980s. It has definitely improved. Although there is still racism in the area it is not as bad as it was. It has definitely gotten a lot easier. It is still quite a bad problem [but] it is not as bad as it was. I remember stories from my dad and my brother of them having trouble and my own experiences as a kid and I know my nephew and niece they don't experience the same problems. I know it has definitely gotten a lot better since my childhood."