4 May 1978 murder of Altab Ali by three white racists on local election day was a turning point for Anti Racist Movement and blessing for Bengali community in East London that came to a point matter for survival for ourselves which, we Bengalis where deprived living in the most deprived and rundown area in the UK. Where Bengalis are deprived from every facility and service exist from the local authority, Greater London Council (GLC), Inner London Education Authority (ILEA), even the police. So, it was our fighting against all odds the racism on the streets, racism at the institutions level for our struggles for survival to find our rights exists within the mainstream British society.

In 1976 was a turning point for ethnic minorities communities the British government passed an act that is 1976 Race Relation Act followed up with setting up the Commission for Racial Equality ( CRE) by Home Office to oversee the racism within the institutions. So far rights got frustrated becoming active by going after ethnic minority communities under the leadership of John Tyndal- National Front (NF) politically motivated and they targeted weak Bengali and Asian people. The National Front NF having their headquarters only quarter miles away from Bengali main lane, the Brick Lane, and the NF started their activities in East London by brainwashing local racists people start to attack peaceful Bengali communities in East London. The Bengali was their east target and living in slam housing, overcrowded construction, no bath and shower facilities within their property where they use public bath weekly basis! Only those who are lucky one got council or GLC property that was luxury dreams come true for them that was only a small minority. The racism and racist regular attacks not only take place in East London but South Hall, West London, Bradford and Birmingham as well.

At same time Anti Nazi League, Socialist Workers Party (SWP), East London Workers Against Racism ( ELWAR) were active since 1976 and providing support to minority community by playing active roles. In 70's Toris Ali murder in the Bow area in Tower Hamlets, Isaak Ali in Hackney in 1979, person got murder in Bradford, in South Hall, Gurdeep Sing Chaggar, in Newham, Kenneth got murder and Blair Peach murder by racist police in South Hall in 1979. For us it was a matter of survival under the leadership of Youths Organisation in East London our ongoing campaign against racism regularly and every Sunday in the Brick Lane area. Where getting support from South Hall Youth Movement, Newham Monitoring Project, Hackney Defence Committee plus mainstream anti racist organisation. As far as the Bengali community where there were many internal issues within the family and community where lack of entertainment for young people and regular family pressure on us young people become everyday life. Only entertainment for small groups of young people going to disco over the weekend and for many going to watch Indian and Bengali movie over the weekend, there was no youth club facilities for us, also Nizam was killed front of Empire night club in 1977 and In 1976 Bengali young lady was gang raped by over 10-15 people that became even more problematic for all young people where tension grows amongst the parents and relatives and even with our community, keep majority younger people under pressure from families and friends and going out or staying out after school or working hours was difficult for majority young people to continue. So, lots of young people forced to keep away from the Anti Racist Movement or any community activities where many where force by parents and relatives keep away from their anti racist activities and many of us who are leading figures or played leading rules was under pressure from families and relatives to leaving our homes and end up staying friends or hostel etc. where Peter East helped many young people to accommodate at the NO 7 near Tower Hill. Also, Cathy Forrester ( Peters) who helped time to time providing her family flat room to accommodate some of us rent free accommodation, where Cathy Peters her family and relatives was actively involved with the Anti Racist Campaigner which helped local racists people to become less active on their racist activities within the Chicksand Estate and surrounding areas. There was tension growing within the Bengali family and relatives but our main focus and issues were only fighting against the racism for our survival. In the 70's one group started meeting Asian Study Centre, Myrdel Street where evening language classes, dream class and singing classes under supervision of Barrister Shah Lutfur Rahman and Brick Lane area people getting involved with English language classes at the Toynbee Hall. However, victims of the gang raped individual got moral and logistics support from Caroline Adams, who was working for the Avenue Unlimited and she was a Nurse in 1971 and Caroline Adams work with Bengali refugee in Calcutta, India, during war against Pakistan. The gang raped issues became problem for Bengali young people where under continued pressure from ours parents not going out socilising with others friends, only go to school or work return home. So, we young people are under attack from every direction including getting insults, abuse and attack by racist on the streets, housing estate at the same pressure from families and relatives that it was not easy for many of us where my father was under the influence of family members and his friends forced me to go to Bangladesh in December 1976 where I was attending my secondary school and returned back to London seven moths later and my school was over for that. So, there is lots of history that exists to tell by individual young people who are active with community issues, the Anti Racist Movement. In 1978 after Mrs Margaret Thatcher's become Tory party leader which Mrs Margaret Thatcher's on One World Action programme at the British TV called all minorities communities scum, So Mrs Thatcher statement even influence and encouraged racist to carrying more activities against minority community through out the UK, her intention where to getting the racists voted herself to become prime minister and later Tory party came to power under Mrs Margaret Thatcher's leadership! However, it was good that the previous government passed the 1976 Race Relation Act where some parts of the deprived area given central government funding and Tower Hamlet got, Tower Hamlets Inner Area Program (THIAP), at the same time CRE funding programs. The Bengali community where not ready to getting direct funding, so in Spitalfields Project was setup by Tower Hamlets Council capacity building and providing small funds to local organisations within Spitalfields area under initially leadership of David Cheetham and later Bill Blair who took over where a Steering Committee set up discussed local issues and provide small funds to local organisations.

We made the decision to occupy the Bethnal Green Road toilet on Saturday night for the following day morning activities until 2pm every Sunday afternoon and night time spent for many Saturday nights until the NF closed down their office and moved to South London. The Anti Racist Movement people who played active or leading roles both from within Tower Hamlet and outside Tower Hamlet. Veteran community leader Ahmed Fakar Uddin,Toybur Rahman, Gulam Mustafa, Rohim Bokth, Mala Send, Aloke Biswas, Bojon Chatterjee, Jamal Hassan.

Joe Abraham, Dan Jones, John Eversley, Cllr Paul Bisley, Cllr Jeff White, Carolina Adams, Clare Murphy, Derek Cox, John Newbigin, Cathy Peters and her mother 2 sisters, Rev Kenneth Leech, Faruk Dhandhi, Michel Mayer, Jim Thomson, Peter East, Charles Formen, Mark Adams, Patrick Kodikara, Tia Khan, Pia Khan, Barrister Shah Lutfur Rahman, Noor Miah, many more.

Bengali Youths Organisations was the main power base where large membership from Bengali young people. Bangladesh Youth Front ( BYF), Bangladesh Youth Movement (BYM), Bangladesh Youth League (BYL), Bangladesh Youth Association (BYA), Young leadership Rojon Uddin Jalal, Akikiur Rahman, Abdul Bari, Sunahwar Ali, Noor Uddin Ahmed, Kutub Uddin, Syed Mizan, Somok Ali Noor, Rofique Ullah, Abdul Mukit Chunu, Farar Uddin Billy, Chunu Miah, Tarik Hussain, J Jabbar (JJ), Abdul Aziz Makon, kunu Miah, Konor Ali, Ana Miah, Toymus Ali Golibhai, Forid Uddin, Nizam Miah, Monhur Miah, Gulam Yahia Khasru, Enamul Haque, Manik Miah, Jamal Miah, Kamal Miah, Foysal Islam ect. The Progressive Youth Organisation established in 1979 but their group was in existence from 1976 but their way of thinking was totally different from all of us until 1979 and they all got engaged and encouraged young people to get Karate and Kun Fu training including themselves and only way to save ourselves from the racist attack and outcome results Kun Fu master Najaboth Miah Nazi first Bengali getting black belt and followed by Amir Khan, Modu and other getting black belt that is including Mothob as well. Sad news for our movement after may 1978 many people who were given leadership on the 14 May 1978 and before many of them who have immigration status issues and after number of people getting arrested they taken back stage of the Anti Racist Movement that is including people like: Shoib Ahmed Chowdhury, Zia Uddin Lala, Syed Ashraful Islam, Dr Harris Ali, Dr Zaidul Hassan, Sheraj Uddin Ahmed, Noor Uddin Ahmed and Abdus Salique who kept himself engaged with his cultural activities which set up the Dishari Shilpi Gosthi. Many more people have gone back to their normal activities which are difficult to say, is it family pressure or other issues. Starting from May 1978 we only did not stop ourselves with the anti racist campaign but we got engaged at the same time and many selfish groups provided advice and support for our community. Where Ahmed Fakar Uddin played the crucial role getting Osman Gani on his side starting from 1979 getting Spitalfields Housing Co-operative, now known as housing association, Spitalfields Housing and Planning Right Service (SHAPRS) initiative of Tower Hamlet Law Center, and in 1979 both Soyfyl Alom Ahlul Karim where got involved with the BYF and in 1982 Ansar Ahmed Ullah who was involved with the Bangladesh Youth League in Luton, and anti racist movement from Luton who came to London got a job provide by Manpower Service Commission (MSC) working with the Federation of Bangladeshi Youth Organisation (FBYO), Ansar Ahmed Ullah started his work encouraged to influence young people particularly young woman in community activities, where Julie Begum, Afia Khatun, Amin Begum, Fatima Matain, Hasina Zaman, Nahid Huda her number of cousin sister come from South London doing activities in East London. Started with the Joi Bangla Youth Organisation in mid 80's and starting a Joi Bangla Band where Faruk Shamsher his brother Haroon, Ashfaque Kazi Mintu, Sam Zaman, Nahid Huda, Fatima Matain, June, Abdul Shohid and others made great contribution. Brick Lane 1978 Turning Point was a blessing for young people who slowly learned and gained experience leading community issues which were blessings for us Bangladesh Welfare Association BWA infighting by two different fiction and BWA 39 Fournier Street was locked down which given all opportunity, springboard for us to get into ladder of leadership started with Anti Racist Movement and others selfhelp organisations, following selfhelp organisations set up starting from 1978 to mid 80's:

Spitalfields Housing Co-operative, Tower Hamlet Training Forum, Spitalfields Small Business Association SSBA, Kobi Nazrul Center, Spitalfields Housing and Planning Right Service SHAPRS, where SHAPRS initiative of Tower Hamlet Homeless Families Campaign, the Community Allience for Police Accountability (CAPA), Asian Unemployment Outreach Project (AUOP), Tower Hamlet Association for Racial Justice (THARJ), MSLS, Bangladeshi Educational Needs in Tower Hamlet BENTH, under the ILEA Tower Hamlet Initiative where £ half million annually was setup for five years Bengali community Educational capacity building by employment of people in education getting them qulifation including Teacher Training Courses. The Michel Hesitate initiative started with six Tasks Force and followed up by Single Generation Budget SRB 1-6, later New Deal for Communities and so on.

Also we didn't only stop ourselves from anti racist campaigns or just set up and run self-help groups, but we young people started fighting against Labour Party getting involved with the party where our membership was denied and in 1982 local election we started People Alliance to nominate councillor candidates and in may 1982 became sussesful getting one independent Cllr elected where left fiction within the labour party saw opportunity and started helping us to get involved with the labour party but left was not in position to accept Bengali power sharing platform within the ward party, so our fighting against the labour party continue as ongoing struggle and fighting to clean up and build save for Bengali community in the labour party in Tower Hamlet. We Bengali 1970's groups made possible after long struggling and obstacles and creating atmosphere for Bengali to welcome into the politics in Tower Hamlet and which has reflected throughout the UK where everyone got opportunity.

Where in 1982 local election People Alliance nominated some independent candidate and one person got elected as a councillor where left fiction within the party saw opportunity and started to helping Bengali to enter into the Labour Party but the left where not in position to accept Bengali on power sharing either but ongoing fight within the party slowly we Bengali get into power sharing platform that is including local authority as well or without on going struggling and fighting nothing can't be achieved where real power based existence in the Town Hall order to overcome all obstacles does exist for Bengali community, so created level playing field and on the process now Bengali are in control of the Tower Hamlet, Town Hall and all our achievement did reflected through out the UK for Bengali community!

In mid 80' I was selected as Asian youth representative to set on GLC Anti Racist Sub-Committee along with one Black youth representative both of us work together to organised weekend residential youth conference for Black and Asia other minorities youth conference where outcome of such residential youth conference was hold a day big conference at the County Hall and try to establish a black and Asian and other minorities youth platform before the GLC abolish but sad news some outsider taken control of such a day conference by undermine both of us youth representative on the GLC Anti Racist Sub-Committee where I didn't even attended such a day conference but end result was there was no outcome results to setting up a platform for youth in Grater London Area.

Not to mention about some of our works continue to getting young woman getting involved in community activities where in 1978 Bangladesh Youth Front leading organisations main leadership came from the Wheler House, Quaker Street where Avenue Unlimited continue working with young people in the Wheler House where Halima Begum of Action Aid UK, Bangladesh chapter Chief Executive now who organised young woman groups and we have provided Sama Leather Training Project premise at the 116 Commercial Street, Top of Star Cash and Curry to use in the evening regular activities of their young woman in 1985-1986 activities later Halima Begum, Julie Begum, Afia Khatun and Gorgina Whymes lead Woman Against Racism in 1990.

Always before local or national elections which far right start their racist activities that includes attacking Black and Asia people, so 1990 just before local election BNP became active in Tower Hamlet and giving their council candidates within some of the area within Tower Hamlet and I was labour party candidates in Holy Trinity Ward where BNP candidates standing for local election and racist attack increase within the area where the BNP organised public meeting at the John Scurr School and almost 20-30 BNP got into the school proction of the police and police locked the school gate where 10-12 people manage enter the school through the gate but later over 20-30 of us claims the school wall and enter into the school meeting Hall where BNP where meeting and we standing and started shunting st the BNP meeting.

To be continued...