SYNOPSIS
‘Defiance’ examines how Britain’s Asian community was targeted with a campaign of violence and murder between 1976 and 1981, as National Front activity became increasingly prominent. These timely films 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. The series investigates 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 – events which were often overlooked by the press, the police and the government. Through a cache of archive footage and compelling new testimony from key figures on the front line at the time, the ground-breaking documentary series will show what happened when the British Asian community decided to fight back. Episode One explores how in 1976, young Sikh Gurdip Singh Chaggar was murdered in west London. The National Front were swiftly rising. In response, angry and impassioned young British Asians joined forces to defend themselves.