About

In 1981, twelve young Asian men in Bradford faced terrorism charges after defending their community from a violent racist skinhead attack. They made petrol bombs for self-defence. Known as the Bradford 12, by arming themselves, they took direct action to ward off the greater threat of skinhead violence. The state labelled them terrorists, but the people rallied behind the slogan, “Self-defence is no offence.”

Their case exposed the intense racial tensions in Britain. Their arrest sparked fierce protests nationally and internationally, with thousands demanding justice for the Bradford 12. The lengthy, tense trial revealed a police force indifferent to racist violence, one that believed discrimination was necessary and had Special Branch surveillance on key defendants.

Ultimately, the Bradford 12 were acquitted—a landmark victory affirming the right to organised armed self-defence for oppressed communities. Their courage and solidarity challenged systemic racism and continues to inspire the fight for justice.

This film was made collectively by a group of documentary makers and activists, many of whom were central figures in the Bradford 12, as well as those who supported them. The documentary contains unique archive, exclusive interviews and an epic reconstruction of the trial organised as a Third Cinema event where members of the Bradford 12, as well their children and community volunteers, recreated key moments of the trial. In doing so we rejected conventional drama to create powerful imaginative realism based on radical intergenerational lived experience of struggle. This is not just a political film, it has also been made politically.