2011 England riots

2011 England riots
Firefighters dousing a shop and flats destroyed by arson during the initial rioting in Tottenham
Date6–11 August 2011 (copycat incidents continued after this period)
Location
Several boroughs of London; West Midlands, Merseyside, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Bristol and several other areas[1][2]
MethodsRioting, looting, arson, robbery, assault, murder
Resulted inShops, homes, vehicles destroyed
Reported fatalities and injuries
Death(s)5
Injuries205 (16 members of the public,[3][4] 186 police officers, and 3 police community support officers)[5][6][7][8]
Arrested3,000+
Damage2,815 homes, businesses attacked[9]

A series of riots took place between 6 and 11 August 2011 in cities and towns across England, which saw looting and arson, as well as mass deployment of police and the deaths of five people.[10]

The protests started in Tottenham Hale, London, following the killing of Mark Duggan, a local black man who was shot dead by police on 4 August.[11] Several violent clashes with police followed Duggan's death, along with the destruction of police vehicles, a double-decker bus and many homes and businesses; which rapidly gained the attention of the media. Overnight, looting took place in Tottenham Hale retail park and in nearby Wood Green. The following days saw similar scenes in other parts of London, with the worst rioting taking place in Hackney, Brixton, Walthamstow, Wandsworth, Peckham, Enfield, Battersea, Croydon, Ealing, Barking, Woolwich, Lewisham and East Ham.

From 8 to 11 August, other towns and cities in England (including Birmingham, Bristol, Coventry, Derby, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester and Nottingham) faced what was described by the media as "copycat violence", with social media playing a role. By 10 August, more than 3,000 arrests had been made across England, with at least 1,984 people facing criminal charges for various offences related to the riots.[9][12][13] Initially, courts sat for extended hours. A total of 3,443 crimes across London were linked to the disorder.[14] Along with the five deaths, at least 16 others were injured as a direct result of related violent acts. An estimated £200 million worth of property damage was incurred, and local economic activity – which in many cases was already struggling due to the Great Recession – was significantly compromised.

Significant debate was generated among political, social, and academic figures about the causes and context of the riots. Attributions for the rioters' behaviour included social factors such as racial tension, class tension, economic decline and its consequent unemployment.[6][13][15][16]

  1. ^ Rogers, Simon; Sedghi, Ami; Evans, Lisa (11 August 2011). "UK riots: every verified incident – interactive map". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  2. ^ Payne, Sebastian (9 August 2011). "London riots map: all incidents mapped in London and around the UK". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference independent_injuries was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc_mugging was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Police staff working rest days to cover riot workload". Public and Commercial Services Union. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 28 August 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Britain's rioters count cost of unrest as order restored". CNN. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  7. ^ "Live Updates From Sky News Team And Twitter: Riots Spread Across London". BSkyB. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  8. ^ Wilson, Peter (11 August 2011). "Police warning on vigilante justice after English riots". The Australian. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  9. ^ a b "England rioters "poorer, younger, less educated"". BBC News. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  10. ^ Bridges, Lee (20 June 2012). "Four days in August: the UK riots". Race & Class. 54 (1). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publishing: 1–12. doi:10.1177/0306396812446564. ISSN 0306-3968. S2CID 145666650.
  11. ^ "Riots in Tottenham after Mark Duggan shooting protest". BBC News. 7 August 2011. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  12. ^ "London riots: More than 3,000 arrested". BBC News. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  13. ^ a b "England's week of riots". BBC News. 15 August 2011. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  14. ^ "London riots: More than 2,000 people arrested over disorder". Daily Mirror. 25 August 2011.
  15. ^ Lewis, Paul (7 August 2011). "Tottenham riots: a peaceful protest, then suddenly all hell broke loose". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  16. ^ "Tottenham in flames as protesters riot". The Guardian. London. 6 August 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2011.