Tony Soares material

Tony Soares, an activist and well-known founder member of the Black Liberation Front, was one of the first proponents of Black Power in Britain. Soares was targeted by the Special Branch - a special intelligence unit within the British and Commonwealth police forces responsible for matters of national security - for his editorial decision in allowing an article on making Molotov cocktails (from Black Panther Community Newspaper - Vol.4, No.2) to be reprinted in Grassroots Black Community Newspaper. The Special Branch claimed they pursued him as part of a search for IRA sympathizers, though his supporters claim he was targeted for "1. Being Black, 2. Being Conscious" and "inciting Black people to defend themselves against brutality, injustice, and racism." Soares was an ardent supporter of young Afro-Caribbean men targeted by British police. This box contains approx 500 pages of material relating to campaigns and movements of the African and Caribbean communities in Britain. Many material relates to the UK Black Panther movement and the Black Liberation Front.