Defiance: Special Birmingham Screening
Join us for this Birmingham screening of Episode 1 from Channel 4’s ground-breaking documentary series ‘Defiance,’ followed by a special Q&A.
Defiance tells the epic story of how the British Asian community fought back against racist violence between 1976 and 1981, from Southall, to Brick Lane, to Bradford; stories from the frontline of resistance at the time that helped define Britain.
Defiance Episode 1: ‘One down, one million to go’
1976: Attitudes against immigration across the UK reach boiling point with daily attacks on British Asians and calls for them to be ‘sent home.’ When an 18-year-old Sikh, Gurdip Singh Chaggar, is killed on the streets of Southall, West London, Far Right politician John Kingsley Read celebrates the killing with the slogan: ‘One Down, one Million to Go!’ Young Asians, furious that the police won’t protect them, form the Southall Youth Movement to defend themselves.
On the other side of London in Bethnal Green, the National Front threatens to become a political force. The brutal murder of Altab Ali on election day sends shockwaves through Brick Lane’s Bengali community. Altab's funeral becomes a rallying point, with thousands marching the coffin to 10 Downing Street to demand an end to the attacks. But the police response leads some to question which side they are on. The Southall Youth Movement joins forces with the Bengali community, and the battle is on to protect Brick Lane from National Front thugs.
Audience Q&A
This screening event, organised by Kings Heath United Against Racism, Kalaboration Arts, MAC Birmingham, and Rogan Productions, will feature a Q&A chaired by Ruchi Tandon (Journalist Broadcaster), exploring the forms of resistance, solidarity, and activism depicted in the series and how they relate to the challenges of today. Panellists include:
· Suresh Grover (Monitoring Group)
· Pritpal Sahota (Southall Resident)
· Rajonuddin Jalal (Bangladeshi Youth Movement),
· Mukhtar Dar (Sheffield Youth Movement)
· Bhupinder Basi (Birmingham Asian Youth Movement)
· Masud Malik (Bradford 12)
· Rajesh Thind (Defiance: Producer Director)
“Incredible viewing whether you’re Asian or not” Nihal Arthanayake, Radio 5 Live. “Powerful” — The Times “Eye-opening” — Daily Mail
“This striking three-part documentary – showing throughout the week – does a compelling job of telling the personal and political stories behind Britain’s Asian community as it faced violence and murder between 1976 and 1981.” Guardian .
Screening: Defiance: Fight the Far Right – Episode on 26th May - 6 p.m. at the Midland Arts Centre.
Price: £5
Box Office: 0121 446 3232
Tickets online here
Youtube link to Episode 1 intro here