Asian Youth Movement (AYM) Bradford.

The Asian Youth Movements (AYMs) emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a radical response to the rise in racist violence, where ‘Paki Bashing’ was rife and far-right street mobilization led to disillusionment with the British state’s failure to protect racialised communities.[1] Formed by second-generation British Asians, many of them young, working-class, and politically self-educated—the AYMs represented a critical turning point in post-war British anti-racist organising. Rooted in cities like Bradford, Sheffield, and Manchester and London, but inspired by global anti-imperialist and Black Power movements, the AYMs were notable for their assertive politics of self-defence, solidarity, and community empowerment. They challenged both the institutional racism of the British state and the perceived inaction of established community leaders, refusing to quietly endure the inequalities their parents had previously faced. The Bradford AYM became one of the most active and influential groups of its kind.

[1] Horobin, Alfred. (1972). Paki-bashing in Coventry. Police Journal, 45(3), 184-197.