As today, the past saw demonstrations and confrontations on the streets of the United States over the struggle in Palestine. After 2000 Jewish, anti-Zionist Communists Party members held rally at New York City’s Irving Plaza on August 28, 1929 in support of the ‘Arab Revolt’ in Palestine, Party meetings and offices were attacked by right-wing Zionists, and ‘socialist’ Zionists, the American Legion, and police. The Communist Party had a substantial Jewish membership and its influential and widely read Yiddish-language paper Morgen Freiheit was a particular target for assault.

‘Workers Defend Meeting from Zionist Attack’ from the Daily Worker. Vol. 6 No. 162. September 13, 1929.

Broken by Police After Zionist Attack Fails

After several hundred Jewish fascists and socialists were unable to break up a Communist Party open air meeting at Stone and Pitkin Ave., Brooklyn, last night which was defended by an iron ring of members of the Workers Guard, the police were called upon to attack the demonstration against British imperialism and its Zionist ally. The meeting was attended by more than 3,000 workers.

The police charged, brutally hitting left and right. More than a score of workers were severely beaten, one having his head cut open and another left lying unconscious.

The police refused him any medical attention. Six workers were arrested including Harold Williams, Negro District Organizer of the Communist Party.

Reign of Terror.

For several hours afterward a reign of terror prevailed in the working class section of Brownsville. The fascists attempted to break up the meeting until 10:45 without success, when they called upon the police for assistance. The worker who was knocked unconscious by the policemen’s clubs is Sam Cohen.

Big Bronx Meeting

A successful exposure of British imperialism and its Zionist allies took place at a meeting held at Olinville and Allerton Ave., the Bronx, at which more than 1,000 workers demonstrated their solidarity with the Arabian masses in their fight against British imperialism. Police and Zionist fascists last night smashed a Communist Party open air meeting at 10th St. and Second Ave., attended by over 500 workers.

When B. Lewis, a Negro Communist was speaking at the 10th St. and Second Ave. meeting, Jewish fascists and socialists attempted time after time to break up the working class rally. Although they got reinforcements several times, until their numbers were more than 200, they also sent in a call for the police reserves, who with clubs upraised, surrounded the platform where Lewis was speaking. One of the Zionists shouted to the police, “Stop the meeting.” The police, following the orders of the fascists, pushed Lewis off the platform and dispersed the workers.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1929/1929-ny/v06-n162-NY-sep-13-1929-DW-LOC.pdf