'Rebellion': self-defence and the story of the Bradford 12
Key information
- Date
- Time
-
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
- Venue
- SOAS Gallery Building
- Room
- SOAS Gallery Lecture Theatre (SGLT)
- Event type
- Film screening
About this event
Join us for a film screening and discussion of Rebellion (Migrant Media, 2026, 80 minutes) with the filmmakers Tariq Mehmood and Ken Fero.
In 1981, twelve young Asian men in Bradford faced terrorism charges after defending their community from a violent racist skinhead attack. They made petrol bombs for self-defence. Known as the Bradford 12, by arming themselves they took direct action to ward off the greater threat of skinhead violence. The state labelled them as terrorists, but the people rallied behind the slogan, 'Self-defence is no offence'.
Their case exposed the intense racial tensions in Britain. Their arrest sparked fierce protests nationally and internationally, with thousands demanding justice for the Bradford 12. The lengthy, tense trial revealed a police force indifferent to racist violence; one that believed discrimination was necessary and had Special Branch surveil key defendants.
Ultimately, the Bradford 12 were acquitted – a landmark victory affirming the right to organised armed self-defence for oppressed communities. Their courage and solidarity challenged systemic racism and continues to inspire the fight for justice.
Registration
Registration is required and seating is allotted on a first-come-first-serve basis.
About the speakers
Tariq Mehmood is the co-director of Rebellion, a documentary on the Bradford 12 case, in which he was a defendant and successfully defended himself. He is a novelist and political activist based between Manchester and Beirut, and an Associate Professor at the American University of Beirut. He previously co-directed Injustice with Ken Fero through Migrant Media, and is editor of Lines of Fire: Poetry of the Afro-Asian Writers Movement, co-published by Daraja Press and AUB Press.
Ken Fero is a filmmaker, activist and educator who with Migrant Media has produced several hard-hitting documentaries for over 40 years examining community responses to issues of race, class and resistance for national and international broadcasters as well as cinema. He is internationally renowned for the multi-award winning radical films Injustice (2001) and Ultraviolence (2020) and is a published author. He was a founding member of the United Families & Friends Campaign and is co-convener of the People’s Tribunal on Police Killings.
