Britain warns of rise in far-right violence

By Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) - A government minister said a recent rise in right-wing anti-Islamist militancy bore echoes of 1930s attempts by fascists to spread fear in Jewish areas of east London.

Communities Secretary John Denham said far right groups were deliberately trying to provoke ethnic minority groups into conflict in a bid to cause divisions within communities.

His comments came after members of the Stop Islamisation of Europe group were confronted by about 1,000 opponents outside a mosque in north London on Friday. Ten arrests were made, including nine for possession of offensive weapons, and bricks and bottles were thrown at police.

The incident comes after trouble in recent weeks between nationalist supporters and counter demonstrators in Birmingham resulting in dozens of arrests.

"You could go back to the 1930s if you wanted to," he told the Guardian newspaper. "The tactic of trying to provoke a response in the hope of causing wider violence and mayhem is long established on the far-right and among extremist groups."

The black-shirted British Union of Fascists stirred fear in largely Jewish areas of London's east end in the 1930s.

When they rallied for a march through the Stepney district in October, 1936, Tens of thousands of east enders blocked the approaches. Police attempts to clear their way resulted in fierce clashes and the BUF was eventually forced to abandon its plans in what became known as the Battle of Cable Street.

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