62 Group

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The 62 Group was a militant broad-based coalition of anti-fascists in the United Kingdom, To be a formal member you had to be Jewish but they worked with people from all communities including many Irish and Black activists. It was set up in 1962 and modelled after the 43 Group (which was not actually set up in 1943).

Its tactics consisted of direct action against those groups it believed were organising violence against minority groups, which sometimes resulted in violent confrontations. This it claimed was a legitimate response to the violence and intimidation, for example the burning of synagogues, that was certainly taking place at the time. However, it attracted criticism from more moderate groups who shunned violence and advocated challenging racism through legislative means, and members of the far-right who accused it of deliberately starting violence.

The group was Intelligence-led in most of its activities. Like the 43 Group it had many ex-service men and women in its ranks. In the mid sixties Searchlight first appeared in newspaper format with the support of all three major political parties and the Trade Unions. 31 years ago it became a monthly magazine with an international readership and massive trade union support in more recent years.