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The time a Bristol neighbourhood fought off a fascist invasion
A neighbourhood in Bristol was once declared a no-go area by a fascist group after a failed attempt to hold a rally there.
On August 26, 1936, a group of British Union of Fascists supporters – known as Blackshirts – arrived at Melvin Square in Knowle West.
But they were received by thousands of local residents who had turned out to oppose them.
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For 30 minutes, one of the Blackshirts tried to address the crowd, but was met with heckling, cat-calling and jeering.
For their safety, police then wanted the Blackshirts to leave, but they were pushed and shoved by residents as they tried to get back to their armoured vehicle.
Things took a turn for the worse after a Blackshirt is thought to have punched someone with a knuckle-duster – with one resident taken to hospital with a black eye and another treated for a nose bleed.
The fascists got pelted with apples and cabbages – most likely from the former greengrocers on Melvin Square.
Police had to form a protective cordon around the Blackshirts so they could leave, but the crowd stayed long after they left, perhaps in The Venture – the former pub on Melvin Square – to celebrate their victory.
After this event, Knowle Westers barricaded Glyn Vale – which is probably the route the Blackshirts took to get to Melvin Square – to stop them from coming back.
The Blackshirts are believed to have not returned to the area, declaring it a no-go zone.
Lee Groves believes the Knowle Westers’ victory over the fascists should be commemorated – photo: Charlie Watts
The details of “the battle of Melvin Square” were revealed during a recent Bristol Radical History Group talk at Filwood Library.
Speaking at the talk, former Knowle West resident and Bristol Radical History Group member, Lee Groves, said they are hoping to get a plaque put up in Melvin Square, to commemorate the Knowle Westers’ win against the Blackshirts.
He said: “There’s hardly anything to celebrate what working-class people have achieved, particularly in Knowle West.
“Knowle West has always had a stigma, but one thing that people in Knowle West should be proud of is working-class people, at risk of being put in jail and beaten up, fought fascists.”
Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo: Charlie Watts
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