United Black Youth League

The United Black Youth League (UBYL) was formed in 1981 as a branch of the Bradford Asian Youth Movement (AYM). This was in response to the AYM accepting state funding, which some members argued would make them indebted to the government. It primarily comprised South Asian youths but had diverse members. The UBYL’s purpose was to obtain basic civil rights for South Asian migrants, fight against institutionalized racism and highlight the lack of police protection for South Asian communities. It had support groups in London, Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester. Prominent members of the UBYL included Tariq Mehmood Ali and Tarlochan Gata-Aura, who campaigned for five years to secure the state’s recognition of widespread institutional harassment against South Asians.

The UBYL created solidarities with many campaigns. Tarlochan Gata-Aura led the campaign to reunite Anwar Ditta and her three children who were born in Pakistan, as the government argued they were not hers. The UBYL sent in delegates to support the London Bangladesh Youth Movement protesting the racist murder of Altab Ali. They also garnered momentum against the deportation of Nasira Begum. In addition, the UBYL joined the Wages for Housework campaign’s demonstration outside the British Consulate General in Los Angeles, US. Other connected organizations included the National Mobilising Committee and South Manchester Anti-racist Organisation.

The police were aware of their political and self-defence activities. Thus, UBYL members were heavily targeted during the trial of the Bradford 12, in which twelve UBYL members were arrested in July 1981 for possession of petrol bombs with the intent to endanger life and hold explosives for unlawful purposes. They faced life imprisonment despite the bombs never being used, nor the members possessing them at the time of arrest. Because of the defendants’ childhood experiences, they gravitated towards radical action to resist police neglect and racism head on. For example, Tariq Mehmood Ali experienced constant racism on his school playground, Anwar Qadir’s brother was beaten up by skinheads and Saeed Hussain witnessed his mother’s distress after a firebomb attack on a Pakistani family in Walthamstow. In 1981 alone, Bradford had twenty-five reported cases of arson attempts and racial attacks.

For the initial two weeks of investigation, the defendants were barred from accessing their solicitors and family visits. After months of harsh treatment, the trial of the Bradford 12 finally commenced on 26 April 1982. Despite unfair jury elections and police insensitivity, all the defendants were acquitted on 16 June 1982 and it was determined that the petrol bombs were a last resort of self-defence against skinhead threats. UBYL's ‘Self-Defence Is No Offence’ campaign highlighted discrimination faced by Black and South Asian communities and the extent of police inaction. Although the UBYL was short-lived, it led one of the most successful anti-racist campaigns of the 1980s.