The tragic and untimely death of Altab Ali in 1978 marked a significant turning point in east London’s race relations. His racially motivated murder in a park in Whitechapel that now bears his name, mobilised both the Bengali and wider communities to take a stand against hatred and intolerance.
A ceremonial event will be held on Wednesday 4 May to mark the official and permanent recognition of Altab Ali Day by Tower Hamlets Council. Communities will come together in the park in Whitechapel which now bears Altab Ali’s name. The event will include wreath laying, poetry readings from Stephen Watts and Aishah Siddiqua, and speeches from invited dignitaries.
Altab Ali Day, the 4th May, is now a poignant and important date in the annual calendar on which to commemorate the life and untimely death of this young man. It pays tribute to the legacy of tolerance and unity and the stance against fascism that that resulted from this crime.