It's been a little over 3 weeks since the death anniversary of Altab Ali. On the 4th of May 1978, a 25 year old Bangladeshi textile worker named Altab Ali lost his life in a racially aggravated attack in East London (BBC News). He was by no means the first person to be racially attacked and murdered in the U.K, but his death came to represent a defining moment for Bangladeshis in East London. What is known as ‘The Battle of Brick Lane’ lasted nearly a decade, and came to a climax when Ali was murdered. This led to the mobilisation of the Brick Lane Bangladeshi community who were determined to not only fight for their lives as immigrants, but secure long lasting change for their future generations.
‘Paki-bashing’
Altab Ali was 16 when he arrived in London with his uncle in 1969 (OpenDemocracy). He began working in Hanbury Street off Brick Lane, where the Bangladeshi community was expanding. The East of London has historically been a point of entry for migrants because of its proximity to the docks. As a popular place for immigrant communities, it has also been a hub for hostility and racial violence against immigrants (The Conversation). In the 1930s, Oswald Mosley’s ‘Black Shirts’ were Hitler supporters who targeted the Jewish community. Well dressed ‘Teddy Boys’ in the 50s and 60s aimed to rid the African-Caribbean communities to “Keep Britain White”. In the 70s, The National Front was the far-right fascist group who’s extremist members carried out routine practices of ‘Paki-bashing’ (Altab Ali Foundation).
Ali was attacked by 3 teenagers- Roy Arnold, Carl Ludlow, and an unnamed male (BBC News). Their attack on Ali was an act of ‘Paki-bashing’, and was symptomatic of the notorious racial antagonism of the 1970s. Abu Mumin, a community activist, described himself as a ‘survivor of that era of hate and violence’.
“‘Paki- bashing’ was a daily occurrence in schools, parks, and the streets. ‘100 metre after school dash’ to our homes to escape the skinheads was routine”
- Abu Mumin, community activist (BBC News)
Members of the National Front often engaged in organised patterns of violence against Bangladeshis living in East London. These activities were met by resistance from Bangladeshis and their anti-fascist allies in what is now famously known as the ‘Battle of Brick Lane’. Throughout this period of resistance, racism was rampant through acts of violence and was made institutional through the rhetoric of politicians such as Enoch Powell. Slogans such as ‘Blacks Out’ and ‘White is Right’ were used by the National Front, stirring racial tensions and generating a culture of fear (Altab Ali Foundation). It was in this climate, at the height of the formalised attacks on Bangladeshis was when Altab Ali was murdered on his way home from work.
‘Watershed moment’
10 days after his murder, around 7000 Bangladeshis marched behind Altab Ali’s coffin. Starting in Hyde Park where they held a rally, onto Downing Street to give their petition to the Prime Minister to take action against the racist attacks.
Procession behind Atlab Ali's coffin from Whitechapel to Whitehall, 1978 (Tom Learmouth)
His death was seen as a watershed moment and a turning point for Bangladeshis in the East End. According to Jamal Hassan, a leading anti-racist activist in the 70s, it “sparked the beginning of the end for the ‘Battle of Brick Lane". The news of his death spread and led to the mass mobilisation and politicisation of the community. The determination to not only demand justice for a life lost at the hands of a racist attack, but to call for social justice and equality was revolutionary.
Anti National Front Demonstration, Brick Lane 1978 (Allen Denney)
‘Everyone joined together- Bangladeshi people, Caribbean people, Indian people, Pakistani people, everyone was involved’
- Shams Uddin, a friend of Altab Ali (BBC News)
Chants included ‘black and white, unite and fight’.
It was in this period that crucial youth organisations were formed by the Bangladeshi community. Anti-racist movements came together with community groups, creating a unified force. Some of the youth groups that came out of this struggle include the Bangladesh Youth Movement (BYM), the Bangladesh Youth Front (BYF), Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO), Bangladesh Youth League (BYL), and the Bangladesh Youth Association (BYA) (Altab Ali Foundation).
“Nothing happened overnight, but by the 1990’s the intensity and the violence had subsided”
- Shams Uddin
‘365 days a year’
42 years later, East London is almost unrecognisable. Tower Hamlets today resides over 80,000 Bangladeshis- which is the largest number of Bangladeshis in Britain. The legacy of Altab Ali lives on in the sense of ‘community’ which once served as a source of courage for the resistance movement.
St. Mary’s Gardens was renamed the Altab Ali Park (BBC News) and is symbolic to the Bangladeshi community. Every year, on or around May 4th, local activists, school children, and interested passers-by gather on Altab Ali day to honour his legacy.
As Jamal Hassan notes, we must remember the unity that once bound a community to fight against the current of injustice not just once a year, but ‘365 days a year’.
Special thanks to Tanbir Mirza-Baeg for the timeless photos and research.
References: