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| 1981 Brixton riot | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 1981 England riots | |
 Police with riot shields form a cordon across Atlantic Road at its junction with Coldharbour Lane, 11 April 1981 | |
| Date | 10–12 April 1981 |
| Location | Brixton, South London, England |
| Methods | Rioting, looting, arson |
| Casualties and losses | |
| 279 police officers injured 45 members of the public injured | |
The 1981 Brixton riot, or Brixton uprising,[1] was a series of clashes between mainly black youths and the Metropolitan Police in Brixton, London, between 10 and 12 April 1981.[2] It resulted from racist discrimination against the black community by the mainly white police, especially the police's increased use of stop-and-search in the area, and ongoing tensions resulting from the deaths of 13 black teenagers and young adults in the suspicious New Cross house fire that January.[2] The main riot on 11 April, dubbed "Bloody Saturday" by Time magazine,[3] resulted in 279 injuries to police and 45 injuries to members of the public;[4] over a hundred vehicles were burned, including 56 police vehicles; almost 150 buildings were damaged, thirty of which were burnt out, and many shops were looted. There were 82 arrests. Reports suggested that up to 5,000 people were involved.[5] The Brixton riot was followed by similar riots in July in many other English cities and towns. The Thatcher government commissioned an inquiry, which resulted in the Scarman Report.
- ^ Grover, Chris (13 September 2013). Crime and Inequality. Routledge. ISBN 9781134732999.
- ^ a b J. A. Cloake & M. R. Tudor. Multicultural Britain. Oxford University Press, 2001. pp.60-64
- ^ "Britain: Bloody Saturday". Time. 20 April 1981. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
- ^ "Battle 4 Brixton pt6 of 6". 22 April 2008. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2009 – via YouTube.
- ^ "How smouldering tension erupted to set Brixton aflame". The Guardian. London. 13 April 1981. Retrieved 10 January 2016.