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New documentary examines violent targets on British Indians

Called ‘Defiance: Fighting the Far Right’, the documentary examines events between 1976-1981 that were overlooked by the press, police, and the government

The series uses a cache of archive footage and testimony from key figures on the frontline, narrating the attacks on Britain’s South Asian community during the 1976 to 1981 / Rogan Productions

A new UK documentary recounts violent racist attacks faced by British Indians in the late 70s and early 80s period. Called ‘Defiance: Fighting the Far Right’ the documentary was commissioned by Channel 4 and will air starting Apr. 8, as a three-part series. It will comprise events overlooked by the press, the police, and the government.

The series uses a cache of archive footage and testimony from key figures on the frontline, narrating the attacks on Britain’s South Asian community during the 1976 to 1981 period by a fascist group called the National Front, and the community’s resistance toward the same. The series will “lift the lid on a period in recent British history, in which the violence, injustice – as well as the extraordinary courage of those who confronted it – resonates through the decades,” said a news release by Rogan Productions.

BAFTA-winning Rogan Productions, Left Handed Films, and GroupM Motion Entertainment joined forces to create the show. Seminal events ranging from the Southall protests, the death of Blair Peach, the Battle for Brick Lane, and the extraordinary story of the Bradford 12 are investigated in the series.

“At a moment when we have a British Asian Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak), and an Asian First Minister (Humza Yousaf) in Scotland, it is incredibly powerful to be able to tell the stories of everyday British Asians fighting to make their way in this country and to be heard,” said Shaminder Nahal, head of specialist factual for Channel 4.

“A comprehensive telling of the extraordinary experiences of a generation of Asian refugees and migrants who came to Britain and faced unprecedented wave of racial violence, stood their ground and turned the tide, is long overdue,” said James Rogan, executive producer for Rogan Productions.

“These are stories of bravery in the face of violence, and a refusal to let prejudice go unchallenged – they could not be more timely,” said Riz Ahmed and Allie Moore of Left Handed Films.

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