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From Socialist Appeal, Vol. III No.10, 24 February 1939, p. 2.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’ Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).
The Party and Yipsels went to town Monday night against the fascist meeting.
Tens of thousands of people watched the Socialist Workers Party lead the anti-fascist forces in the counter rally. And the Stalinist and Socialist rank and filers who joined with our forces were sick at the abject failure of their parties.
A tour of the Madison Square Garden area two hours before the anti-fascist demonstration began was reminiscent of a trip through an army camp. Blue-coats and dicks swarmed around every street like bees in a hive. This didn’t daunt the spirit of the antifascists in the least.
51st Street and 8th Avenue was the center of the biggest rally. Tens of thousands joined our forces there in a splendid demonstration against the fascists.
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“We Demand the Right to Picket:” “Stop the Fascist Meeting!” “Workers, Unite to Fight Fascism!” “Long Live the S.WP.!” |
These slogans roared from the crowd and rolled down Times Square and into the fascist meeting!
Cheers thundered as speaker after speaker called for the formation of Workers Defense Guards to fight fascism. In turn, Max Shachtman, Natie Gould, B.J. Widick, Marty Abern, James Burnham, and Bill Morgan aroused the huge gathering to demonstrate their hatred of fascism. Lifted to the shoulders of some husky Yipsel comrades, the speakers castigated the cops who sat nervously on their mounts a few feet away. Boos at every mention of LaGuardia’s name indicated the temper of the workers present.
Pride in the Fourth International was written in every comrade’s face as thousands of people joined in our parade down Times Square and around Eight Avenue. Side-walk spectators frequently applauded as the cry of “Smash the fascists in New York,” came from the marchers. The streets and sidewalks were jammed.
Outstanding among the marchers were fifty Negro workers who came down to aid in fighting fascism. It was their first contact with the S.W.P.
A social-democrat remarked, “I’ve always respected the Trotskyists for their brilliant theories, and now I’ll have to give them credit for their action!”
A perplexed Stalinist said, “How can these Trotskyist fascists picket the fascist meeting?” To which a comrade replied, “The point is that they aren’t fascists, and where is your party?”
An army officer looked at the parade scornfully. “Bash the heads of a couple of their leaders and they’ll all run,” he said. Fifteen minutes later, the cops tried it but didn’t get very far.
An unknown hero showed how workers want to fight fascism. When the cops rode into the demonstration, he grabbed the bit of a horse and tried to stop him from trampling over the marchers. He tried again, and it took six cops to stop him.
After the brief skirmish at 48th Street and 8th Avenue, a group of bystanders were plenty sore. “I never thought they’d dare do that.” “This turns a new light on the cops!” “Nothing but cossacks!” were typical comments.
Perhaps the hardest job anyone had was legal defense work assistance. Far away from the scene of the demonstration, comrades sat tensely all evening waiting to hear from the demonstration in the event that legal defense was necessary. The strain was terrific. By midnight, the comrades were exhausted. It was tough to be away from the firing line, but a job had to be done, and it was done.
A few brash Nazis tried to raise a little hullabaloo among the anti-fascist demonstrators early in the evening. It didn’t take long to convince them forcefully that it was a mistake to try anything.
Two arrogant fascists going to the meeting got smart in a subway. A professorial-looking gentleman broke a good tennis racquet explaining anti-fascism to them. We were told that his arguments made an impression.
Perhaps the best way to describe the spirit of the comrades at the demonstration is to say that it was only equalled in our experience by the magnificent display of militancy of the Akron rubber workers and the Flint auto workers in the days of the great C.I.O. strikes. Hats off to the New York militants! They came through with flying colors in their first big test in action!
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Last updated: 28 November 2015