Tributes have poured in for ‘a pillar of Bristol’s conscience’
13:33, 15 Feb 2026Updated 14:23, 15 Feb 2026
Judah Adunbi has died aged 70
Respected community elder and race relations campaigner Judah Adunbi has died aged 70 after a short illness.
Mr Adunbi, who was known as Ras Judah by much of the St Paul’s and Easton community he formed a key part of, was described as a ‘pillar of Bristol’s conscience’ in a tribute posted on social media.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Ras Judah,” Bristol Black History Month posted on Facebook.
“Ras Judah born Judah Adunbi was more than a campaigner or community elder. He was a pillar of Bristol’s conscience.
“From his involvement in the 1980 St Pauls uprising to his decades of service as an independent race relations advisor to the police, he carried both the pain and the pride of our city with unwavering dignity.”
The 1980 uprising was the culmination of increased tensions between the police and the residents of St Pauls, which erupted into violence after officers raided the Black and White Cafe on Grosvenor Road.
The community felt that officers were implementing the ‘sus law’ — which gave them powers to perform random stop and searches — against young black men indiscriminately and without good cause.
Mr Adunbi went on to be one of the founding members of the Independent Advisory Group, which was set up to improve relations between the police and the Afro-Caribbean community.
While out walking his dog in January 2017, Mr Adunbi was Tasered in the face by police officer Claire Boddie after she mistook him for a wanted man, and he refused to give her his name. PC Boddie was later cleared of wrongdoing in both a criminal trial and a police misconduct hearing.
In October 2018, police officers once again mistook Mr Adunbi for the same wanted man. An earlier run-in with police on Stapleton Road in the late 2000s — in another case of mistaken identity — left him with permanent shoulder damage, he told Bristol Live in 2018.
Although he became widely known throughout Bristol after the Tasering incident, Mr Adunbi was regarded as an integral part of the city’s black community for years before that. He worked for the city council for around twenty years and set up sports schemes to help disadvantaged kids.
“From founding the St Pauls Sports Academy to mentoring generations across Bristol, Ras Judah embodied service,” the Bristol Black History Month tribute continued.
“He stood firm so others could stand taller.”
A film based on Mr Adunbi’s life, I Am Judah, screened to a sold-out audience at the Cube cinema in Kingsdown upon its release in October 2022. Mr Adunbi particularly loved cricket, with the Rose Green & Bristol West Indian Phoenix Cricket Club paying their own tribute to him on social media.
“Ras Judah Adunbi was a lifelong race equality campaigner and community activist who worked to improve relations between the Black community and authorities in Bristol,” the club wrote on Facebook.
“He was one of the first Black sports development officers at Bristol City Council and helped shape race relations work in the city.”
Alex Raikes, chief executive of the charity Stand Against Racism and Inequality (SARI), said Ras Judah had inspired a huge number of anti-racism campaigners in the city.
“We went on so many journeys together to try and achieve justice,” she wrote in a tribute of her own.
“Many of us have stood on your shoulders and wouldn’t be where we are without your courage and tenacity… So many will miss your contribution be it sports, anti-racism, mentoring, community development, and also fun and celebration.
“We will miss your laugh and that look that sees right through any rubbish. Take care dear friend on the next leg of your journey.”
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