The battle of Cable Street in 1936 was a pivotal moment in anti-fascist activism and a testimony to the effectiveness of direct action. In an attempt to radicalize Gentiles living near Jewish areas of London's East End, Oswald Mosley and 3,000 of his BUF supporters planned a march that was ultimately stopped by thousands of protestors, mainly local Jewish and Irish residents, who physically blocked the fascist demonstrators from entering the area.