FASCIST ACTIVITIES (Hansard, 20 December 1946)

§ Mr. Austin (Stretford)
I am very grateful to the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, for his presence here today, but I would like to say, on behalf of the House, if I may, that we hope that the Home Secretary will soon recover from his indisposition and be back with us when we resume after the holiday, showing all his usual tolerance and good humour. I raise this question of Fascist activities, because, on 31st October, I put a Question to the Home Secretary regarding the multifarious activities of Sir Oswald Mosley, in regard to which, unfortunately, I received no satisfaction. At the same time, this question goes back much further than that. Today, 20th December, is an anniversary. 2438 It is a year ago since this question of Fascist activities was raised in any substance. Last year, on this day, there were 10 Questions down on the Order Paper about the activities of Sir Oswald Mosley arising out of his Royal Hotel meeting, and great concern was expressed by many hon. Members.
There are three points arising out of the Home Secretary's answer of a year ago. The first, which is dealt with in Col. 1548 of HANSARD, is with regard to the question of an armed truculent minority, seizing power against the will of the people, and it was this which not only prompted me, but impelled me, to put down a Question early this year, which resulted in the surrender of firearms on a gratifyingly large scale. However, I noticed in this morning's Press that, according to the police, gangsters in London are still in possession of Bren guns, Sten guns and grenades, and I am afraid I must come to the conclusion that, if that is so, it may well be that Fascists in this country are still in possession of firearms of various characters. I hope the attention of the Parliamentary Secretary and that of his Department may be directed to that.
The second point that emerged at Question time on 20th December, 1945, was the fact that the Home Secretary said at the time, in regard to the Royal Hotel affair, that the police were not empowered to interfere as this was a private function. I am not a law student and I know nothing about the law, but my researches have led me to a case, namely, Thomas v. Sawkins, in the King's Bench Division in 1935, the sub-title of which is: Police—light to enter private premises—to attend meeting to which public invited—reasonable anticipation of misdemeanour or breach of the peace. The right hon. and learned Gentleman the President of the Board of Trade was counsel for the appellant in that case. I know that that referred to a public meeting, but I should like to draw the parallel that that public meeting, where it was anticipated that there might be a breach of the peace, is certainly on a level with the many private meetings of Sir Oswald Mosley with his Fascist activities, and I cannot for the life of me see why the police cannot be empowered—quite rightly—to enter premises in which there is a Fascist private meeting with a view to preventing what is bound to be a 2439 breach of the peace. Fascist activities of any character are certainly anathema to the British public.
The third point that arose last year was the fact that the Home Secretary stated at the time that, if necessary, he would come to this House for further powers. My complaint is that he has not come to the House for further powers. Why is that? Is he satisfied that there has not been a resurgence of Fascist activities in the past year? Is he satisfied that Sir Oswald Mosley and those of his supporters in the past—the 18 B-ers—have all been converted to a democratic point of view? I must turn now to a very potent weapon that is being employed today by Fascists in their activities. It is the weapon of organised anti-Semitism. This very undesirable element of anti-Semitism is going on in organised form throughout the length and breadth of this country wherever there is any size or congregation of Jewry present. It may be that it is a legacy from the depredations of Hitler, wherein six million Jews were killed, but it ought not to be and must not be tolerated in a democracy. I must ask the Parliamentary Secretary whether there is not something that can be done with regard to this Fascist menace that affects the lives of a minority of His Majesty's subjects.
If I may, I should like to quote an appropriate resolution which came into my possession yesterday. It was moved by His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, supported by the representative of the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the Free Church Federal Council, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, and the Acting Chief Rabbi, and was carried unanimously. It reads: The Council of Christians and Jews, which draws together members of all sections of both the Christian and the Jewish communities in this country, desires to place on record its abhorrence of the terrorist outrages perpetrated by certain irresponsible Jewish groups in Palestine. These outrages are a fundamental violation of the spiritual and ethical principles common to Judaism and Christianity. The Council appeals to the people of this country to guard against any tendency to condemn Jews as a whole for the crimes of a numerically insignificant minority, already publicly condemned by responsible Jewish bodies throughout the world and emphasises the need for deepening active and friendly cooperation on a basis of mutual understanding between Christians and Jews. 2440 Out of that resolution, with which I do not think anybody can quarrel, arises the fact that the Fascist elements in this country are trying to make capital out of the activities of their counterparts in Palestine—Fascist terrorist elements among the Jews there. That is not satisfactory. It is the duty of the Home Office to put a stop to this organised anti-Semitism.
What are the other activities that are going on? We have seen the development of the Book Club organisation by Mosley and the Fascists, and the development of the so-called discussion groups, which have so far created numerous breaches of the peace throughout the country because of the resistance and hostility of the audiences who have been invited to the meetings. We see also the re-emergence of splinter groups of Fascism—the League of ex-Servicemen, almost avowedly Fascist, the British Vigilantes League. the Kingdum House group who almost deify Adolf Hitler as Christ returned to earth, the British People's Party, with which John Beckett ex-Fascist and 18B-er, and the Duke of Bedford, are associated, the Face the Facts League, and many others. If the House requires any further information upon this resurgence of Fascism and its pernicious creed, I recommend hon. Members to read a book by Frederick Mullally, entitled "Fascism inside England." It will surprise them, and should prove most illuminating reading. If the Under-Secretary of State has not yet read it, I commend it to him with the utmost vigour.
Are we to understand that Sir Oswald Mosley is inactive, although he is responsible for the parent organisation? Is he doing nothing at all? Has he been converted to democratic principles? No, Sir. These Fascist splinter groups have re-emerged. They are nothing but the unnameable creatures emerging from the slime of the cesspool of Fascism. The real parent organisation is beneath, and from it comes the propaganda for an assault upon democracy. Sir Oswald Mosley has been freely allowed to publish a book. Many people in this country have been puzzled why we have allowed that freedom to an avowed Fascist to publish his opinions. It is thought, quite rightly, that the war was fought not in order to destroy Germany and Italy, but to extirpate Fascism wherever it might be 2441 found. Why, having made all these efforts to stamp out Fascism on the Continent, do we allow its re-emergence freely in this country? There is the injustice.
I understand there is now a regular weekly publication by Sir Oswald Mosley. Are we shortly to see a daily newspaper, or a Sunday newspaper, published by him? A Debate in another place recently unfortunately gave the impression that Sir Oswald Mosley has only to make a fresh application, to be able to leave this country and carry on his foul, nefarious planning abroad. I feel that that is not right and that something ought to be done. Perhaps we may see Fascists attempting to wear uniforms again, or attempting all sorts of demonstrations counter to the public order. Is a watch being kept upon his various supporters? In this House there were Fascist supporters. There may be one today. I repeat there have been avowed supporters of Fascism in this House itself, strange as that may seem.
It was openly stated by Sir Oswald Mosley that he was financed by industry and by financiers in this country, before the war. Have we the equivalent today? I am rather inclined to the opinion that we have. These people are acting as the equivalent Krupps and the Thyssens and Hugenbergs who put Hitler in power in Germany. To these people, this Government is so obnoxious that they will stop at nothing to put Fascism into the saddle. Assistance was given to Sir Oswald Mosley by various newspaper organisations, notably the Rothermere Press and the "Daily Mail" in particular. The "Daily Mail" recanted. There are publications today, who do the same. I name the journal "Truth," which is the vilest travesty of the word "Truth" that I have ever known. This publication lends itself to Fascist propaganda. There are many others. Are they being watched?
It may be that there are many men in the Services who are sympathetic to the aims and objects of Fascism in this country, just as there were before the war, men like Major-General Fuller and Admiral Sir Barry Domville and many others, and that these elements have not been converted. I plead with the Parliamentary Secretary that this is urgent. I turn to Captain Ramsay—who was a Member of this House—and his Right Club. May we now have the names of the members of that Club? Why are they kept from 2442 the country? Why is the nation not told the names of those who had a traitorous intent in regard to the future of this country? I do not care who is being shielded; the country has the right to hear the names of the members of Captain Ramsay's Right Club, and as I have given notice to the Under-Secretary, I hope he will agree to supply them.
There is another menace. I do not wish to offend the susceptibilities of the Opposition. I admire those amongst the Opposition and in the Conservative Party throughout the country who are broad-minded, tolerant and public-spirited. But those elements are not the only constituents of the Conservative Party and, as far as I can see, we shall witness the peculiar phenomenon of a split in the Conservative Party. We shall see shortly the development of a move towards the Left by some. There will be a Liberal trend—

§ Mr. Boothby (Aberdeen and Kincardine, Eastern)
What about the split in the Labour Party?

§ Mr. Austin
There will be a Liberal trend in the Conservative Party of those who more or less agree with the views of the hon. and learned Gentleman the Leader of the Liberals. On the other hand, there will be another trend irrevocably to the Right, which will sympathise with this element in the country who, thwarted and frustrated by the good administration of this Government, and in consequence of the administration of this Government, and its beneficial results, will feel that there is no other way of seizing power than by resort to Fascism and sympathy with Sir Oswald Mosley. I know that time is short, and I shall conclude with an extract from a great democrat, Mr. Emery Reeves. It is no good being doctrinaire or dogmatic in our liberalism regarding democracy and our treatment of those who would suppress democracy and rot and undermine it. We have to fight to preserve democracy and use the same methods on the Fascists as they will use on us if necessary. Democracy must be a live and virile body. The extract, which is from "A Democratic Manifesto," is as follows: Only if we define quite clearly what we understand under each one of the democratic freedoms which our state can grant to the individuals, and only if we establish the necessary organism for the prevention and the 2443 suppression of all such forces which are working against those democratic privileges, and only if we accept the doctrines that liberal policy means to be liberal towards those who are liberally minded and to treat all individuals, parties or nations according to their own principles, can we hope that in future-we shall be able to stop at any time such movements as are represented in our generation by Nazism and Fascism. Only then can we hope that we shall have a democratic order that will work according to the present realities of our world. I rest my case on that very admirable quotation.

§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Oliver)
I have listened to the hon. Member for Stretford (Mr. Austin) with great interest. It would appear that wherever he looks he can find a Fascist—in this House, in industry, in the Services, and I have no doubt, if he looked under the bed tonight, he would discover one there.

§ Mr. Austin
That is not funny.

§ Mr. Oliver
If a person looks for a thing and continues to look for it, he will invariably find it or believe he can find it. As to whether there is a Fascist in this House, I can assure him I do not know of one. As to whether there are Fascists in industry, considering that there are millions of people in industry, it is more than likely that there will be one or more among the millions. Having regard to the fact that there is a considerable number of our people in the fighting Services, it may well be that my hon. Friend will find one or two there—

§ Mr. Austin
Are they being watched?

§ Mr. Oliver
—but that does not constitute a menace, that does not constitute something which would invoke repressive legislation. We must not forget that this is a democracy and criticism of the political institutions, and political views in this country, is the basis of democracy. It is not necessary to believe that the Labour Government was sent from Heaven, and that if it is suggested that it came from another place, somebody should be repressed for holding that view. I think it is quite erroneous to think that because there are criticisms and meetings in small meeting rooms, that the Fascist menace is growing so much that something should be done by the Home Office.
2444 Reference was made by the hon. Member to firearms, and to the fact that people are in possession of firearms. There are thugs in this country in possession of firearms, and it naturally follows that there may be Fascists who have firearms, who, in certain circumstances, may resort to their use. I do not know whether the hon. Member will recall that the Home Secretary, as far back as last February, made an appeal on the wireless for the surrender of firearms, a demand for the surrender of unauthorised firearms.

§ Mr. Austin
At my suggestion.

§ Mr. Oliver
Very good. I am glad to know that the hon. Member inspired the Home Secretary to make this appeal. As a result, 75,966 firearms were surrendered. I ought to tell the hon. Member that the Service authorities are very careful to see that men do not retain their arms on demobilisation, and do not bring weapons, other than Service equipment, into the country without authority. There is no reason to think that large quantities of firearms are getting into the hands of unauthorised persons. That is the view of the Home Office. I hope my hon. Friend will not be timorous about this matter. He can rest assured that firearms are not being spread about and further that every effort is being made as far as the Home Office can, to get in firearms held by unauthorised persons. If there are firearms in the hands of unauthorised persons, I am sure that the Home Secretary is doing everything possible to get them in.
The other point my hon. Friend raised concerned the statement made by the Home Secretary that he would come to the House for further powers. The Home Secretary no doubt said that, for my hon. Friend is referring to questions which were asked a year ago. This is the anniversary, he tells us, of questions being asked in 1945. Much water has flowed under the bridges since then. If in the opinion of my right hon. Friend, he did not possess the necessary powers to deal with the Fascist situation, such as it is, we may rest assured that in the 12 months which have passed, he would have sought the authority of Parliament to have the necessary instruments placed at his disposal. In the view of my right hon. Friend we have the power to meet the situation as we visualise it. There again, my hon. Friend can rest assured that this matter 2445 is not being ignored. I am asked to look into the question of Captain Ramsay's Right Club. Captain Ramsay's Right Club is as dead as mutton and is not likely to rise again, for a long, long time.

§ Mr. Orbach (Willesden, East)
Are all the members dead?

§ Mr. Oliver
I do not suppose that they are dead, but it ceased to function when Captain Ramsay and the other leaders were detained in 1940. It seems unlikely that there is a prospect of a resurgence of the activities of the Right Club at this time. I feel sure that if the Government continue to handle the economic, political and social problems of the day as they are doing, Fascism is dead for all time. I have no doubt that there are in the present Government enough men and women competent to meet the political and economic situation, who will evolve a policy which will mean that Fascism will not rear its head again in our time.
There is only one other point. In the early months of this year the Government considered carefully the problem created by the activities, such as they were, of a small number of Fascists and Fascist sympathisers in this country. It examined the size, character and potentialities of this small minority, and the resources available under the existing law for dealing with it. As the Home Secretary said, on nth April, the Government reached the conclusion that Fascist and potentially Fascist bodies in this country were small, disunited and ineffective, and that the existing law was adequate to enable action to be taken against all dangerous activities. The Home Secretary gave an assurance that these bodies would be watched with the utmost vigilance, and that if their members engaged either singly or in conspiracy in specific activities, or if they disturbed the peace, they would be dealt with firmly as law-breakers. The situation has not materially altered since that statement was made. I can give my hon. Friend the assurance that the Home Office will continue to watch this matter, and I can assure him that he has no need to be alarmed.