British Union of Fascists

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i , I  • THE  B.U.F. AND INTI~SEMITISM (AN  EXPOSURE) \ I, THE  B.U.F.  AND  ANTI-SEMITISM (AN  EX POSURE) MR.  CHARLES  WEGG  PROSSER  was  one  of the  leaders  of  the  British  Union  of  Fascists. He  was  a  candidate  at  the  L.C.C.  Elections on  March  4th,  I937,  when  he  was  described  by Mosley  as  "an  old  and  tried  member".  In  Action on  June  5th,  I937"  we  were  told  that  "Mr.  Wegg Prosser  is  a  young  Catholic  who  has  made  a  great name for himself not only. as  a speaker, but as a writer  .. His whirlwind campaign in Limehouse, where he stood in the L.C.C. elections last March as British Union candidate, is  still  remembered  by  all.  He  always  gives  a  well-thought-out and well-reasoned speech, and wins support by the clear and concise  manner in  which  he puts the Fascist  case." Mr.  Wegg  Prosser has now renounced his allegiance to Sir Oswald Mosley,  and does so in clear-cut language which leaves no doubt as to his meaning.  He says: "I renounce  my political  allegiance  to  you  for  the following  reasons.  Your  methods  have  become  in-creasingly  dictatorial  and  un-English.  You  are  side-tracking  the whole  issue  of  social  betterment  by  the anti-Jewish campaign. "You introduced  a  hierarchy  of  unnecessary  ranks and grades, headed by a small, narrow-minded group of ex-Army officers.  You never moved without a  retinue ! I ! I I :  ,,' qf', \,1 of  these persons, scampering to open doors  for you and do  you  small  favours.  At  your  meetings  you  had spotlights,  hymns, and chants of  praise directed to  you alone.  For long I stifled my disgust, but now I do so no longer because I see that all this, trivial as it may seem, is  significant.  It destroys your claim to be  a  "British movement" with its British outlook  and methods,  dis-tinguished  from  foreign  movements.  You  retreated, it is true, from the Fascist name and the Fascist symbol which once you used, but it was a retreat from  Italy to Germany, inasmuch as you then imitated the uniform of the German S.S. "Anti-Jewish propaganda,  as  you  and Hitler use  it, is a gigantic side-tracking stunt, a smoke-screen to cloud thought and divert action with regard to our real prob-lems .. ,  Hitler  I  cannot judge,  but you, I  know,  are intelligent enough to agree that in places where no Jews exist  (as  in  my  home  county),  there  may  still  exist injustice, poverty, exploitation, bad housing, low wages, dirt  and  degradation  .  .  .  Hitler  attacks  the  Jews  to whip  up the lukewarm and critical,  you  do  it to get a mass support in East London and other places.  I tried to interest those people in real problems, unemployment, wages,  housing,  and so  on.  I  watched with dismay the mentality which said 'Get rid of  the Jews, and you will automatically get rid of unemployment, slums, sweating'. IContlnll~d overloof HOW  THE  FASCISTS,  GOT  THEIR  FUNDS  , On November 12th,  1936,  the Home Secretary,  ~ar John  Simon,  stated in  the House of Commons that the f  .  .  ..  sh Fascists  vV'ere  being supplemented from  abroad Stadt- u.  UMIV.·BI  •  :Qo.  '  • Fr<lnkNrt am "ilain  ~ Further,  I  have  always  loathed  the  spirit 'which  says 'He  is  a  Yid,  therefore bad'.  I  know,  and you  know;, that vile unprovoked assaults have been  made on single Jews by a group of Fascists, even looting has occurred.  '. .  \ "All that I have seen and read In recent months lead& ,t me to the same conclusion, your movement is the negation of everything that is British.  Our people are fair, tolerant, and  humane.  You  introduce  a  movement  imitating foreign  dictators,  you  run it  as  a  soulless  despotism. You side-track the demand for social justice by attacking the Jew, you give the people a false answer, and unloose the lowest  mob passions." WHAT  MOSLEY  ONCE  SAID The sincerity of the Fascists can easily be tested by a reminder of the following statements of their leader. Speaking in May, I924, Sir Oswald Mosley said that the Fascist movement  "slavishly but ineffectually imitated the latest frenzy of Continental hysterics", and accused Mr.  C1).urchill  of  strutting ill  a borrowed shirt-a black shirt-which he had begged,  borrowed,  or  stolen from Signor  Mussolini. Then Mosley turned Fascist and, in a signed statement in  the Press,  July 28th,  I933,  he said:  "We have  no quarrel with Jews  as  Jews,  just as we  have no  quarrel with  Catholics  as  Catholics.  Fascism  is  in  no  sense anti-Semitic.  Anti-Semitism was never known in Fascist Italy.  For many centuries religious and racial tolerance has  been  part of  the British character,  and  I  give  my assurance that under Fascism that great tradition will be preserved."  Events  have  shown  how,  here  agairi, Mosley has made a cOmplete turn  . .,/ T  85  694  316 by C 11. La'Jt,  1S4/11i<l Fled Streel, LondOIl,  E.C.~. 

The B.U.F. and anti-Semitism : (an exposure)

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