On 4 May 1978, Altab Ali, a young Bengali garment worker, was killed in a racist attack in Whitechapel, east London.
His murder wasn’t an isolated incident, but it sparked an uprising. East London’s Bengali community, sick of the racist abuse they faced on a daily basis – including attacks from the fascist National Front – came out in protest.
On 14 May, 7,000 Bengalis marched from Brick Lane, in the heart of the community, to Hyde Park. They demanded an end to racist violence and discrimination. Led by young people, it was part of a fightback that helped turn the tide against far-right politics in the UK.
