Mass student protests in Bangladesh leads to unrest in Whitechapel

Student protests in Bangladesh over a job quota system have sparked international concern and local clashes in Whitechapel’s Greatorex Street

Mass student protests in Bangladesh have sparked international concern, reaching as far as Tower Hamlets where the Bangladeshi community has been drawn into the escalating turmoil, culminating in clashes and arrests near Whitechapel’s Altab Ali Park.

This month mass student protests erupted in Bangladesh. The protests are about a controversial job quota system, which reserved more than half of government jobs for various groups.

Protests in Bangladesh have escalated in the past few days, sparking a near-total shutdown of the nation’s Internet.  The protests have become increasingly violent, with a rising death toll of at least 33 people. 

News of the increased violence in Bangladesh led to a demonstration by students and supporters in Altab Ali Park in Whitechapel on Friday 19 July.

According to the Bangla language newspaper Bangla Sanglap, counter-protestors affiliated with the Awami League (the ruling political party in Bangladesh) and Chhatra League (the student wing of the Awami League) provoked the demonstration leading to a violent clash at the Micro Business Center in Whitechapel.

‘They [Chhatra League and Awami League workers] also threw brickbats at the students from there,’ Bangla Sanglap told us. The unrest led to an arrest as well as several injuries and some property damage. 

‘I recognise that events that take place in Bangladesh can have a significant impact on communities here in Tower Hamlets, but we cannot allow that strength of feeling to tip into threats, violence and disorder,’ Tower Hamlets’ Police Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway said.

Videos of the incident were circulated widely online. Some British Bangladeshis commenting on Instagram referred to the people fighting as ‘freshies,’ a derogatory term for a recent immigrant. 

An Instagram user called Nickie said ‘badmouthing Bengalis while being Bengali yourself is not the flex you think it is. You are one and the same in the eyes of Englishmen, regardless of you being born and raised here.’

Misinformation has proliferated on social media. Footage of the unrest was circulated with racist rhetoric on X and Instagram, with many users mistakenly drawing a connection to an unrelated riot involving the Roma community in Leeds and calling for Muslims to be deported.  

British-Bangladeshi journalist Samia Uddin said: ‘Bangladeshis are very political people. They will always be people who face injustice head on and that is why those who are living here are protesting because there is an overwhelming urgency to do something and take action to help but also the feeling of helplessness. 

With such a strong Bengali community in the area (East End), locals are wanting answers from councillors and political reps on what can be done to help.’

Locally, some residents feel that the response from the British government has been insufficient. Catherine West, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), said: ‘We urge all sides to end the violence and find a peaceful way forward.’ 

The statement was shared on X by Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney Rushanara Ali. Bengali community group Swadhinata Trust responded ‘Why aren’t you demanding an explanation for the disproportionate amount of violence being used against protesters [in Bangladesh]?’ 

UK-based Bengali and Bangladeshi campaigning group Nijjormanush has organised a rally and teach-in this Sunday at Altab Ali Park. ‘We have called a non-partisan demonstration in the heart of the Bangladeshi community in Britain,’ Nijjormanush said on Instagram, ‘This will be both a solidarity rally and a teach-in to learn more about what is happening on the ground.’ 

A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said:

‘We are aware of a protest that took place in Whitechapel yesterday which escalated into disorder. This kind of behaviour has a negative impact on our communities which is why the council held a meeting of the borough’s Tension Monitoring Group (TMG) today.

The TMG brings together community leaders and partners across Tower Hamlets, to provide information and support, reassurance and help reduce any emerging tensions.’