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TheStewards, also informally referred to asBlackshirts, were the paramilitary wing of theBritish Union of Fascists (BUF).[1] They served a similar role as theBlackshirts of theNational Fascist Party of Italy and also wore black uniforms. The Stewards were officially an organization of guards to protectOswald Mosley and eject groups of hecklers from the audience of speeches by BUF officials.[2] In practice, the Stewards physically assaulted hecklers and political opponents withtruncheons of rubber or lead.[2]
During a gathering of 12,000 BUF members atOlympia on 7 June 1934, the Stewards counterattacked an antifascist attempt to disrupt a speech by Mosley. The continuous violent outbreaks between communists and the defending Stewards led toLord Rothermere, the owner of theDaily Mail, to withdraw the support of his paper, mainly out of pressure of government officials. The resulting poor publicity fromleft-wing newspapers also led to a decline in BUF membership.[citation needed]
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