ASIAN DEFIANCE: Call to Action to Build a National South Asian Anti-Racist, Anti-Fascist Movement
ASIAN DEFIANCE: Call to Action to Build a National South Asian Anti-Racist, Anti-Fascist Movement
On Tuesday, August 20th, over 80 individuals of South Asian heritage, representing a wide range of ages, genders, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds, gathered for an urgent online meeting. The meeting was convened in response to the far-right riots that had erupted earlier in the month across more than 60 cities and towns in the UK. It brought together former founders of the Asian Youth Movements, family defence campaigners, leading anti-racist and anti-fascist activists, and concerned citizens. The message was clear and resolute: we must build on the legacy of resistance in both South Asia and Britain to continue the fight against the twin threats of state racism and the growing menace of violent far-right extremism.
At the meeting, first-hand accounts were shared from besieged communities, including Middlesbrough, Rotherham, Liverpool, Sunderland, Newcastle, and Sheffield. The reports painted a grim picture of escalating violence: mosques were petrol-bombed, refugees terrorized, and Muslim communities and other minorities faced relentless attacks, leaving people feeling vulnerable and anxious.
Pritpal Dhanoya who grew up in Southall, witnessed the racist riots of 70s and 80s and is a member of Indus Legacy in Newcastle said:
“I am saddened and angered that after 40 years another generation of South Asian young people are having to witness the effects of the far right which has led to racist rioting in Britain this summer. In the face of this challenge, we call on all our communities, especially the youth, to break down divisions, challenge communalism, and build unity against the far right and state racism.”
The meeting recognised that these far-right riots are neither random nor spontaneous; they are the direct result of years of systemic racism, and a media landscape that dehumanises migrants and demonises Muslims. This racist rhetoric, propagated by politicians across the spectrum, has emboldened far-right organisations like Reform UK and violent groups such as Patriotic Alternative, as well as a dangerous street movement led by former members of the English Defence League, whose agendas are driven by bigotry, division, and hate.
Suresh Grover, a former Youth Movement activist, family justice campaigner and current national Director of The Monitoring Group said:
"Successive UK governments' racist rhetoric of 'swarms,' 'invasions,' and ‘stop the boats’ has fuelled far-right racist pogroms against Muslims, migrants, and minorities. We will stand united and fight back against every form of racism, xenophobia, and the far right."
The meeting resolved to challenge and overcome communal divisions and to unite all sections of the South Asian communities to build a broad national South movement to fight back against both state racism and the far right’s agenda of hatred and division. Attendees unanimously committed to using their collective reach within South Asian communities to mobilise and build solidarity across all groups, contributing to a national united front against both state racism and fascism.
Mukhtar Dar, former Co-founder of Sheffield Asian Youth Movement, Manchester Black Peoples Alliance and founder of Birmingham Kings Heath United Against Racism said:
“This is not just a fight for our communities — it is a fight for the entire labour movement, for justice, equality, and the right to live without fear. We will build broader alliances with working people who have been devastated by decades of poverty and austerity, and we will contribute to a united front to defeat the far right and challenge state racism. We will resist. We will prevail.”
