Altab Ali

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Altab Ali
আলতাব আলী
Born1953
Sylhet District, East Bengal, Pakistan[1]
Died4 May 1978(1978-05-04) (aged 24–25)
Altab Ali Park, London, United Kingdom[2]
Resting placeSylhet District, Bangladesh
OccupationTextile worker

Altab Ali (Bengali: আলতাব আলী; 1953 - 4 May 1978) was a Bangladeshi textile worker stabbed to death in London, in a racially motivated killing.[3][4][5] His death sparked widespread outrage and grassroots action that helped to reduce racism against British Bangladeshis and British Asians in the United Kingdom.[3]

Early life[]

Altab Ali moved from Bangladesh to London in 1969 with his uncle.[3][4] In 1975 he returned to Bangladesh to be married.[4] At the time of his death he was 25 and worked as a textile worker in an area off Brick Lane.[3][4]

Background[]

See also: East End of London § Inward migration

The East End of London had decades of racial tensions. In 1936 Oswald Mosley had planned a march against the then area's Jewish population. At the time the British Union of Fascists was stopped by more than 300,000 protestors - an event known as the Battle of Cable Street. Since this time there had been many racist incidents against the area's Asian community, and on the day of the murder the National Front had candidates standing in local elections.[3][2]

Death[]

On 4 May 1978 Altab Ali was stabbed in what was then St Mary's Park. He was attacked by three teenagers: Roy Arnold and Carl Ludlow were both 17 years old, and another unnamed boy was 16 years old.[2] He was dead on arrival at the Royal London Hospital. The BBC reported the murder as racially motivated and random.[3][4][6]

Legacy[]

See also: British Bangladeshis § History, and East End of London § Inward migration

Altab Ali's death sparked protests within the area. The ethnic minorities of the area (“Bangladeshi people, Caribbean people, Indian people, Pakistani people”) collaborated to call for change. 10 days after the death a group of protestors marched across central London campaigning for an end to racism. They took the coffin of Altab Ali to Downing Street.[1][3]

In 1989 a memorial was built at the scene of Altab Ali's murder, and in 1998 the park was renamed to Altab Ali Park.[3][4][7][8] In 2015 it was announced that the borough of Tower Hamlets would host an annual Altab Ali Commemoration Day.[3][4][9]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Tatari, Eren (2014). Muslims in British local government : representing minority interests in Jackney, Newham, and Tower Hamlets. Leiden. p. 116. ISBN 978-9004269699.
  2. ^ a b c Chakraborty, Mridula Nath (2014). Being Bengali : at home and in the world. Abingdon, Oxon. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-415-62588-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Nye, Catrin; Bright, Sam (3 May 2016). "Altab Ali: The racist murder that mobilised the East End". BBC News. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Rosenberg, David (4 May 2018). "The racist killing of Altab Ali 40 years ago today". openDemocracy. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  5. ^ Hoque, Aminul (3 May 2018). "Altab Ali: Bangladeshis in east London reflect on legacy of a racist murder". The Conversation.
  6. ^ Kibria, Nazli (2011). Muslims in Motion : Islam and National Identity in the Bangladeshi Diaspora. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. p. 86. ISBN 9780813550558.
  7. ^ "Altab Ali Park - Tower Hamlets". www.towerhamlets.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  8. ^ Begum, Julie. "Altab Ali Park, Tower Hamlets - Mapping 100 Years of Black and Asian History - Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Council and communities mark Altab Ali Day". www.towerhamlets.gov.uk. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2021.

External links[]

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