Double podcast episode about anti-racist Asian youth movements in Bradford, England in the 1970s and 80s. We speak to Tariq Mehmood about the Asian Youth Movement, the United Black Youth League, and his seminal trial as one of the so-called Bradford 12.
These will be the first in an occasional series of episodes looking at different aspects of Asian youth movements in Britain at different cities at that time.
- Part 1: exploring what life was like at the time for young Asians in Britain, how organising began and introducing political “blackness”
- Part 2: looking at what happened to the organisations which were set up in the city, and Bradford 12 trial
- Bonus episode: with more information about an unknown connection between a recent trial and the Bradford 12, as well as Tariq writing his first book in prison – available exclusively for our patreon supporters
You too can support this podcast, and get exclusive benefits like early access to episodes, bonus episodes and more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory
More information
- Check out and purchase Tariq’s books here on Amazon
- Trade unionism and the Asian Youth Movements – About the relationship between AYMs and the unions
- Women and Asian Youth Movements – about women’s involvement in the groups
- Emerging conflicts in Asian Youth Movements – about the roots different factions of the organisation took depending on the strategy they adopted
- Self defence is no offence! – A history of the Bradford 12 case
- E1: The Grunwick strike – our first podcast episode about the extremely important strike of East African Asian women in London 1974-6
- Libcom AYM archive – an archive of content by and about the AYM
- tandana.org – archived version of an extensive website containing old AYM materials
Media
Click the images for captions
Sources
Other sources used in the episode not listed above are:
- Bussing out: a local oral history project – Bradford District Council – http://www.bussingout.co.uk/Images/Bussing_Out.pdf retrieved 16/07/2019
- In 1968, a British politician warned immigration would lead to violence. Now some say he was right – Adam Taylor – Washington Post 24 November 2015 – https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/11/24/in-1968-a-british-politician-warned-immigration-would-lead-to-violence-now-some-say-he-was-right/ retrieved 16/07/2019
- Like the Roman: The Life of Enoch Powell – Simon Heffer. London, 1999: Orion. ISBN 0-7538-0820-X pages 462-466
- Immigration and the National Health Service: putting history to the forefront – Stephanie Snow , Emma Jones | 08 March 2011 – http://www.historyandpolicy.org/policy-papers/papers/immigration-and-the-national-health-service-putting-history-to-the-forefron retrieved 17/07/2019
- When Enoch Powell recruited blacks – http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/6th-july-1996/18/when-enoch-powell-recruited-blacks retrieved 17/07/2019
- Enoch Powell’s Rivers of blood speech – https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3643823/Enoch-Powells-Rivers-of-Blood-speech.html retrieved 17/07/2019
- Provos The IRA & Sínn Féinn – Peter Taylor. Bloomsbury Publishing 1997. pp. 251–252. ISBN 0-7475-3818-2.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Gail Edwards for permission to use her rendition of Close the Coalhouse Door, from Gail’s YouTube channel
These episodes were edited by Daniel Woldorff
Our theme tune is Bella Ciao, thanks for permission to use it from Dischi del Sole. You can purchase it here. Or stream it here.
Subscribe
Listen and subscribe to WCH in the following ways: RSS | Apple| Soundcloud | Stitcher | Podbean | TuneIn | Spotify | Google Play