RIP: Belle Harris

Sunahwar Ali

I have learned with sadness of the passing of Belle Harris.
Belle was a committed anti-racist campaigner long before she became a councillor.
I remember her running trade council stalls on Brick Lane in 1978. She was there at the founding of the Tower Hamlets Association for Racial Justice (THARJ) in 1982. Her contribution to the struggle against racism and fascism in our borough cannot be counted lightly.

We later served together in the 1990s–she as Chief Whip, myself as Deputy Chief Whip.
The following year, I became Chief Whip and Belle served as my Deputy. That close political partnership, even with our differences, reflects the seriousness we both brought to the work.
I must also speak honestly. Belle’s commitment to the Bengali community was real, but she had a problem – she tended to believe all Bengali people were the same. That was the main difficulty between her and myself.
I redirect this tribute to acknowledge her decades of sacrifice and struggle, from 1978 onward, while not erasing the complexity of how she related to the community she fought alongside.

My condolences to all who knew her.