![\"Altab](\"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Altab-Ali.jpg\")
Forty years on from the racially motivated murder of Altab Ali in 1978 – an incident, which marked a significant turning point in east London\u2019s race relations – a series of events will take place in Tower Hamlets.\nAltab, a 25-year old textile worker had recently arrived in the UK from Bangladesh. He was returning home from work in nearby Brick Lane when he was fatally stabbed in a park in Whitechapel that now bears his name.
\nHis killing mobilised communities in Tower Hamlets to take a stand against hatred and intolerance.
\nTower Hamlets Council will host a ceremonial event at 6pm on Friday 4 May to mark Altab Ali Day.
\nWill Tuckley, Chief Executive of Tower Hamlets Council, said:
\n\u201cAltab Ali’s terrible murder reminds us that we should never forget the importance of community cohesion and the need to stand united against racism.\u201d
\nFindings from the annual residents survey show that the majority of residents in Tower Hamlets (92 per cent) agree that their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together.
\nThe Revd. Preb. Alan Green, chair of Tower Hamlets Inter Faith Forumsaid: \u201cDespite his murder forty years ago Altab Ali\u2019s name lives on – a symbol of the determination of the people of Tower Hamlets to overcome racism and live in harmony with mutual respect. Such determination is still required to maintain those values, in his name, to make clear that Tower Hamlets has No Place For Hate.\u201d
\nThe Altab Ali Day event in Altab Ali Park will include poetry and a site-specific performance by the council\u2019s youth arts programme \u2018A\u2019 Team Arts, alongside wreath laying and speeches.
\nSaturday 5 May will see the London debut of Purbanat CIC\u2019s play \u2018Brick Lane 78.\u2019 The powerful drama, which will be performed at the Brady Arts Centre at 2pm and 7.30pm, captures the spirit of 1978. The evening performance will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by television presenter Urmee Mazhar.
\nSunday 6 May will feature short film screenings including South Asian Britain, Credo and Purbo London, all of which are poignant portrayals of Asian life in the UK.
\nScreenings begin at 4.45pm at the Brady Arts Centre, followed by a panel discussion with a distinguished line-up of film-makers and artists at 7.30pm. The event is free, but booking is essential.
\nAn exhibition at the Brady Arts Centre entitled 1978: Hope not Hate will open on 3 May as part of the Whitechapel Gallery\u2019s First Thursdays programme and will run until 29 May. The exhibition showcases a striking selection of photographs, posters and prints, which document the strength of the anti-racist movement in subsequent years.<\/p>\n