The United Black Youth League (UBYL) was an English militant
anti-fascist
Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...
,
anti-imperialist
Anti-imperialism in political science and international relations is opposition to imperialism or neocolonialism. Anti-imperialist sentiment typically manifests as a political principle in independence struggles against intervention or influenc ...
and
anti-racist
Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and delibera ...
self-defense
Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...
organisation from
Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
, primarily made up of
South Asian
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
and
West Indian
A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED''), the term ''West Indian'' in 1597 described the indigenous inhabitants of the West In ...
-descended young people. It was founded in 1981 as a splinter group of the Asian Youth Movement, later that year twelve of its members, referred to as the Bradford Twelve by media outlets, were "charged following allegations that they had manufactured explosives in anticipation of a large scale attack by
fascist
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
groups", being acquitted in June 1982 when the court decided they had acted in self-defence.
A variety of journalists and scholars described the case as the "trial of the decade".
The activism of the UBYL in addition to multiple adjacent organisations, led local councils throughout
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
to reform aspects of their school systems including the introduction of non-religious assemblies, allowing
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
girls to wear trousers, increasing the availability of
halal
''Halal'' (; ) is an Arabic word that translates to in English. Although the term ''halal'' is often associated with Islamic dietary laws, particularly meat that is slaughtered according to Islamic guidelines, it also governs ethical practices ...
food in school canteens and requiring teachers to monitor racial abuse incidents.
Formation
The organisation was formed following the splintering of the Asian Youth Movement, another Bradford anti-racism group, which saw the manifestation of two distinct factions, one of which eventually incorporated itself into the
Labour Party, while what would become the United Black Youth League sought immediate militant action. Although the two groups continued to campaign cooperatively, the Asian Youth Movement officially distanced itself from the League.
The fragmentation of AYM and subsequent formation of the UBYL was based on a grant given to AYM by the government, which future UBYL members believed to be tying the group to the government in a way they didn't agree with. The split was decided by
democratic vote which decided in the formation of a new governmentally independent organisation.
It was officially formed at the beginning of 1981.
Dr. Anandi Ramamurthy referred to the beginnings of the organisation as being a response to the growing racial division, namely the lack of police opposition to it, in the United Kingdom in the early 1980s, citing the 1980 police raid of the
Black and White Café, the 1981
New Cross house fire
The New Cross house fire was a fire that occurred during a party at a house in New Cross, south-east London, in the early hours of Sunday, 18 January 1981. The blaze killed 13 young black people aged between 14 and 22, and one survivor killed ...
and the introduction of
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
's ''Swamp 81'', a
stop and search Stop and search or Stop and frisk is a term used to describe the powers of the police to search a person, place or object without first making an arrest.
Examples in specific jurisdictions include:
* in England and Wales
* in Scotland
* Terry stop ...
operation targeted at young black people, as examples. These events, as well as the burning of the Hambrough Tavern in
Southall
Southall () is a large suburban town in West London, England, part of the London Borough of Ealing and is one of its seven major towns.
It is situated west of Charing Cross and had a population of 69,857 as of 2011. It is generally divided ...
led to what mainstream media outlets such as the
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
,
the Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
and
the Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
presented as a war on police by black people.
According to ''Lived Diversities: Space, Place and Identities in the Multi-Ethnic City'', the number of racial abuse incidents that law enforcement ignored was up to 45,000. Member Tariq Mehmood cited "
Paki-bashing", the act of groups of white people assaulting South Asians, and frequent harassment and assaults from police officers as key parts of the formation of the League. To confront this, members would patrol streets at night in groups of between fifteen and twenty in an attempt to discourage violence against both the members and those who unassociated who happened to be found.
At the time, organised self-defence measures such as these were illegal.
Campaigns
The group campaigned against the deportation of Nasari Begnum, who received a deportation order upon her divorce from her husband who held a British citizenship.
The League also organised protests in support of Anwar Ditta, a British-born Asian women, whom the Home Office refused to allow her to bring her Pakistan-born children to live with her. While the Home Office claimed that there was no proof that Ditta's children were those of her and her husband, the League's protests led to the use of newly invented
DNA profiling
DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting and genetic fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is cal ...
, to prove that they were and were granted access to stay.
UBYL campaigned against the prosecution of Gary Pemberton, an Asian security guard who was accused of assaulting a police officer. The members investigated the allegations and protests his arrest, eventually finding that it was the officer who had in fact assaulted Pemberton.
''Bradford Twelve'' trial
On 30 June 1981, twelve members of the league were arrested in Bradford after a
police raid
A police raid is an unexpected visit by police or other law enforcement officers, which aims to use the element of surprise to seize Evidence (law), evidence or arrest suspects believed to be likely to Tampering with evidence, hide evidence, res ...
found them in possession of thirty eight
milk bottles filled with petrol. The members claimed that they were a preemptive self-defence measure against the possibility of attacks from
white power skinhead
White power skinheads, also known as racist skinheads and neo-Nazi skinheads, are members of a neo-Nazi, music of white skin head white supremacist and antisemitic offshoot of the skinhead subculture. Many of them are affiliated with white natio ...
gangs and
National Front members, which were commonplace at the time through the events that led to the
1981 England riots
In April and July 1981, there were riots in several cities and towns in England. The riots mainly involved Black English youth clashing with police. They were caused by tension between Black people and the police, especially perceived racist dis ...
and related hate crimes. In 2006, former member Saeed Hussain stated, in reference to the events, that "we would not let fascists walk in and actually destroy a part of Bradford where Black communities lived. So we took a decision that we would actually find ways of defending the community ourselves. And that decision led to the fact that Molotov Cocktails were manufactured and they were hidden and as and when the need arose we would be prepared to use those."
On 5 August 1981, the
Evening Standard
The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
reported that "A plot to petrol bomb a city's police, skinheads and large stores was foiled when its three ring leaders were arrested", with
the Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
reporting the next day that "Eleven Asians" were arrested "in plot to bomb police" and the
Sheffield Star
''The Star'', often known as the ''Sheffield Star'', is a daily newspaper published in Sheffield, England, from Monday to Saturday each week. Originally a broadsheet, the newspaper became a tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid in 1993. ''The Sta ...
reporting "Bomb Factory find in Yorks: Police smashed a huge petrol bomb factory in Yorkshire today... taking charge of at least 100 bombs and holding four men for questioning". Whereas the
Telegraph & Argus
The ''Telegraph & Argus'' is the daily newspaper for Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is published six times each week, from Monday to Saturday inclusive. The newspaper has offices in Newhall Way, Bradford, from where its journalists work ...
reported that "very little had actually taken place". According to ''Race and Racism in Contemporary Britain'' by John Solomos, these statements were taken solely from the police prosecution, with no newspapers presenting the position of the defence.
In a 1981 article by
Class Struggle
In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...
newspaper, it was cited that "they were subject to racist abuse, threats and brutality".
According to a 2006 statement from League member Tariq Mehmood, law enforcement attempted to start fights between Mehmood and other inmates during the trial, by having him share a cell with skinheads, however these incidents later became increasingly relaxed.
After the arrests, members of groups such as the
Revolutionary Communist Group, Bradford Black,
Indian Workers' Association,
Gay Liberation Front
Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of several gay liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots. Similar organizations also formed in the UK, Australia and Canada. The GLF p ...
and
Socialist Workers Party established the ''July 11th Action Committee'', an organisation to support the Bradford Twelve. The group held their first meeting at the Arcadian cinema in Bradford on 12 August, which included a speech from Amin Qureshi, a future councillor for the city, and was attended by around 800 local people. Soon, members began campaigning using the slogan "Whose Conspiracy, Police Conspiracy: Free the Bradford 12" and publicising falsified statements that
West Yorkshire Police
West Yorkshire Police, formerly the West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth largest territorial police force in England ...
had used in prosecutions in the past. Its prominence led to the formation of two similar pro-Bradford Twelve activist groups: the ''United Black Youth Defence Committee'' and ''the Bradford 12 Defence Campaign''. However, conflicts between these groups emerged when members of the July 11th Action Committee accused Bradford Black member Courtney Hayes of making undemocratic decisions in their campaign and Asian Youth Movement founder Marsha Singh banning its members from participating any of the support movements. The United Black Youth League and July 11 Action Committee were then officially disbanded as a means to unify the movement and Hayes, facing backlashing from his organisations members, lifted the ban for support and paid the bail for Tariq Mehmood Ali and proceeded to defend him in court.
Outside of Bradford, the ''Bradford 12 National Mobilising Committee'' was established by members of
Big Flame in
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
, ''the South London Bradford 12 Support Group'' was established in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, the ''Brixton Defence Committee'' in
Brixton
Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...
and ''the Liverpool 8 Defence Campaign'' in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, all operating under the slogan "Until the 12 are free we are all imprisoned". Frequent demonstrations took place in London, Bradford, Leeds,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, with one campaign taking place at the offices of the
Director of Public Prosecutions in London. This led to increased national visibility, and in a booklet by the ''Leeds Other Paper'', 275 organisations and political figures were listed as supporting acquittal. Some
Trotskyist
Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...
organisations banned support of the Bradford Twelve, namely the Socialist Workers Party, who expelled two of its members, accusing them of
black separatism
Black separatism is a race-based separatist political movement that seeks separate economic and cultural development for people of sub-Saharan African descent in societies, particularly in the United States. Black separatism stems from the idea ...
.
All of those arrested, with the exception of
Shahnaz Ali who was immediately freed, and the addition another male member arrested soon after the events,
went to trial on 26 April 1982 at Bradford Magistrates' Court, under the charge of
conspiracy
A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...
. The police argued that group, orchestrated by three ringleaders, were planning an assault on them, while the defendants pleaded not guilty for self-defence. According to Ruth Bundey, a solicitor for the League, she presented the group's narrative of a political race struggle, however other "solicitors would stand up immediately after... and say they wished to disassociate themselves from my remarks and this was not a case of politics but simply a case of young men misled by others". In response to this, the defendants requested a change of solicitors, leading to the threat of complete retracement of legal aid, after which Ruth Bundey and Gareth Peirce offered to lead the defence independent of the other prior solicitors, however Tariq Mehmood chose to represent himself. On the first day of trial, 500 protestors picketed outside the court. The jury was decided to be a group of entirely white people from Leeds, which the defendants contested citing a high possibility of discrimination with Tariq Mehmood asserting that "I think it would be impossible to tell a jury of what my experience and feelings are if there is not even one of my own people on it", leading to the jury's expansion to 100 jurors, including two Asians, with every juror having any ties to
far-right
Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
organisations needing be investigated. The jury eventually selected was made up of "Asian, African and white working people". When the prosecution argued that "there was no threat in the black community from fascists", trade unionist Dave Stark coordinated research and wrote a report on systematic racial prejudice of attacks in Bradford since the 1970s, partially based a 1981 violent crimes report by the Home Office, to be used by the defendants. In response Chief Inspector Sidebottom "declared he had no knowledge of most of the racist attacks that were mentioned to him, did not know of the local fascist paper New Order nor did he believe that the burning of the Hambrough Tavern in Southall had anything to do with fascists, nor did he keep a record of racist incidents". A quote from prior to the case where Deputy Head of the Criminal Investigation Department in Bradford, DI Holland stated that "Police officers must be prejudiced and discriminatory to do their job" was also presented, in addition to a quote that the prosecutors stated was said by Tarlochan Gata Aura, however was later revealed to be fabricated.
Ideology
The organisation saw the oppression of minority groups such as
South Asians
Ethnic groups in South Asia are ethnolinguistic groupings within the diverse populations of South Asia, including the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan is variously considered to be a p ...
and
black people
Black is a racial classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin and often additional phenotypical ...
as systematically the same, using specifically the word "black" in their name due to its common usage to a variety of minority groups at the time.
It formed as a means of confronting the lack of police intervention in violent crimes against minority peoples, and subsequently believed law enforcement to be a repressive form of establishment.
Influenced by the teachings of
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
and
Malcolm X
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...
, the members believed
socialism
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
to be the way to avoid this discrimination. In particular, members of the group were all also members of political parties espousing the socialist strain of
Trotskyist
Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...
, namely the
International Socialists,
Workers Revolutionary Party and
Militant Tendency
The Militant tendency, or Militant, was a Trotskyist group in the British Labour Party, organised around the ''Militant'' newspaper, which launched in 1964.
In 1975, there was widespread press coverage of a Labour Party report on the infiltrat ...
.
Member Saeed Hussain referred to its primary as
anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...
,
anti-imperialism
Anti-imperialism in political science and international relations is opposition to imperialism or neocolonialism. Anti-imperialist sentiment typically manifests as a political principle in independence struggles against intervention or influen ...
and pro-
immigration
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...
.
The members also opposed
ethnocracy
An ethnocracy is a type of political structure in which the state apparatus is controlled by a dominant ethnic group (or groups) to further that group's interests, power, dominance, and resources. Ethnocratic regimes in the modern era typically ...
of all kinds, with many of its Bengali members focusing on anti-
Bengali nationalism
Bengali nationalism (, ) is a form of ethnic nationalism that focuses on Bengalis as a single ethnicity by rejecting imposition of other languages and cultures while promoting its own in Bengal. Bengalis speak the Bengali language and mos ...
and many of its
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
members focusing on
anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the Palestine (region) ...
. Although many members were religious, they promoted governmental
secularity
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...
.
Members were encouraged to join
trade unions
A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
.
References
{{reflist, 30em
1981 establishments in England
Anti-fascist organisations in the United Kingdom
Communism in the United Kingdom
Political movements in England
Trotskyist organisations in the United Kingdom
Socialism in the United Kingdom
Black British history
Race relations in the United Kingdom
Anti-racist organisations in the United Kingdom
Anti-imperialist organizations
British civil rights activists