LCC Walk: Radicals, Anarchists and Agitators in Spitalfields

In 2015 David Rosenberg published Rebel Footprints which explored the radical history of 19th century London through a collection of historical narratives, illustrations and self-directed walks. For our latest walk we will trace the path taken by numerous anarchists and agitators who took part in the 1889 strikes a critical milestone in the development of the British labour movement.

In 1889, local newspapers proclaimed that the entirety of the East End had been afflicted with "strike fever" as a new wave of labour militancy began among workers from a diverse collection of industries, including coal, matches, packages, jam, iron, dockers and many more.

While their cause was initially denigrated in the press the circumstance affecting workers were dire, they routinely worked 12-14 days for six days in week in unsanitary conditions many on piece rates rather than regular wages. Furthermore, unionizing in these conditions was often exceptionally difficult.

Many of those who walked out in 1889 were first time strikers from the working class immigrant ghetto of Jewish people inhabiting Whitechapel who previously fled Tsarist Russia spurred in part by the assassination of Tsar Alexander the II, and the violent pogroms and discriminatory laws that ensued as a result.

Inspired by the "Strike fever" a delegation of tailors or schnayders from the community were sent to the dockland strike committee to ask for their assistance in pursuing their own strike action and after outlining their case committee pledged one hundred pounds to their cause which led to their employers finally caving in to the tailors demands following a protracted suspension of production.

This incredible example of cross-community solidarity is the motivation for a walk which will take us through the heart of Whitechapel taking us past Freedom Books, which continues the anarchist tradition of the Yiddish radical newspaper Arbeter Fraynd, through the home of radical trade unionists Morris Mindel and Sarah Wesker and many of the other sites of community and struggle which shaped the course of british labour movement.

The walk will begin in front of Aldgate East tube station at the Whitechapel Gallery entrance at 2 and will take approximately two hours. We expect the weather will be fairly chilly so please dress up warmly.