Some shop owners and locals indicated they wanted to defend their shops and other local property themselves due to a lack of police presence in certain areas. On 8 and 9 August, there were instances of people from [[Islam in the United Kingdom|Muslim]] communities ([[British Bangladeshi|Bangladeshi]], [[British Kurds|Kurdish]], [[British Pakistani|Pakistani]], [[Somalis in the United Kingdom|Somali]], and [[Turks in the United Kingdom|Turkish]]) chasing down masked youths in several areas of [[North London|North]] and [[East End of London|East London]], including [[Tower Hamlets]], [[Green Street, London|Green Street]], [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]], and [[London Borough of Haringey|Haringey]].<ref name="independent_vigilantes">{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/vigilantes-join-16000-police-on-capitals-streets-2334910.html|title=Vigilantes join 16,000 police on capital's streets|author=Jerome Taylor|date=10 August 2011|newspaper=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Muslim residents protect their communities|url=http://muslimmatters.org/2011/08/08/the-london-rioting-updates-for-muslims/|work=MuslimMatters.org|accessdate=10 August 2011|date=2011-08-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=London riots: residents fight back|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8691761/London-riots-residents-fight-back.html|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|accessdate=10 August 2011|author=Martin Beckford, James Hall, Christopher Williams, David Millward|date=9 August 2011}}</ref><ref name="guardian_neighbourhoods">{{cite web|title=London riots: 'People are fighting back. It's their neighbourhoods at stake'|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/09/london-riots-fighting-neighbourhoods|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=10 August 2011|author=Peter Beaumont, Jasmine Coleman and Sandra Laville|date=10 August 2011}}</ref> On 9 August, several other communities did the same, including locals in [[London Borough of Enfield|Enfield]],<ref name="independent_vigilantes"/> locals and supporters of the football club [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]] in [[Eltham]],<ref name="telegraph riots">{{cite news
Some shop owners and locals indicated they wanted to defend their shops and other local property themselves due to a lack of police presence in certain areas. On 8 and 9 August, there were instances of people from [[Islam in the United Kingdom|Muslim]] communities ([[British Bangladeshi|Bangladeshi]], [[British Kurds|Kurdish]], [[British Pakistani|Pakistani]], [[Somalis in the United Kingdom|Somali]], and [[Turks in the United Kingdom|Turkish]]) chasing down masked youths in several areas of [[North London|North]] and [[East End of London|East London]], including [[Green Street, London|Green Street]], [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]], [[London Borough of Haringey|Haringey]], and [[Tower Hamlets]].<ref name="independent_vigilantes">{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/vigilantes-join-16000-police-on-capitals-streets-2334910.html|title=Vigilantes join 16,000 police on capital's streets|author=Jerome Taylor|date=10 August 2011|newspaper=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Muslim residents protect their communities|url=http://muslimmatters.org/2011/08/08/the-london-rioting-updates-for-muslims/|work=MuslimMatters.org|accessdate=10 August 2011|date=2011-08-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=London riots: residents fight back|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8691761/London-riots-residents-fight-back.html|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|accessdate=10 August 2011|author=Martin Beckford, James Hall, Christopher Williams, David Millward|date=9 August 2011}}</ref><ref name="guardian_neighbourhoods">{{cite web|title=London riots: 'People are fighting back. It's their neighbourhoods at stake'|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/09/london-riots-fighting-neighbourhoods|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=10 August 2011|author=Peter Beaumont, Jasmine Coleman and Sandra Laville|date=10 August 2011}}</ref> On 9 August, several other communities did the same, including locals in [[London Borough of Enfield|Enfield]],<ref name="independent_vigilantes"/> locals and supporters of the football club [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]] in [[Eltham]],<ref name="telegraph riots">{{cite news
On 6 August 2011, about 200 people, including Duggan's relatives and local residents, marched in Tottenham. After receiving only limited information concerning Duggan's death, several in the crowd became violent and rioting broke out. In the following days, disturbances occurred in other areas of the city, including Wood Green, Enfield Town, Ponders End and Brixton. Vandalism, arson, looting and violent disorder also were reported in several boroughs of London, extending as far south as Croydon. At least 111 police officers were injured. On 8 August, rioting and looting occurred in Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham, Bristol and Medway. More than 1,100 people have been arrested since the start of the disruption.[11]
Described by one journalist as "the worst disturbances of their kind since the 1995 Brixton riots",[12] a local resident expressed the opinion that the unrest was associated with poor relations between the police and the black community in London,[17] as well as in other cities with significant working class populations, such as Birmingham, which has been the setting of protests regarding the death of Kingsley Burrell.[18][19] However, other sources have pointed out that many ethnic backgrounds were well represented among the rioters.[20] Commentators likened the riots to the Broadwater Farm riot of 1985, during which a police officer, Keith Blakelock, was murdered. [21][22]
The disturbances were preceded by calls for better oversight of the Metropolitan Police, repeating observations which go back to the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the New Cross Fire. In April 2011[23] there was a large nonviolent march to Scotland Yard as a result of the death of Smiley Culture, but the event was little reported.[24] The very widespread scale of the violence prompted Al Jazeera to draw comparisons with the Gordon Riots of 1780.[25]
The fatal shooting by police of 29-year-old Mark Duggan took place during a planned arrest on 4 August 2011 on the Ferry Lane bridge, next to Tottenham Hale station.[31][32][33][34]
The incident was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC),[31] which is standard practice whenever a member of the public dies as a result of police action.[35] It is not yet known why police were attempting to arrest Duggan, but the IPCC said that the planned arrest was part of Operation Trident, a unit which investigates gun crime in London. Operation Trident specialises in combating gun crime relating to the illegal drug trade.[13]
Friends and relatives of Duggan, an alleged crack cocainedealer and member of the 'Star Gang', claimed that he was unarmed.[15] The IPCC stated that Duggan was carrying a loaded handgun,[36][37]
and that there was no evidence that Duggan shot at the police.[38]
After the shooting, the media widely reported that a bullet was found embedded in a police radio, implying Duggan fired on the police.[39]The Guardian reported that initial ballistics tests on the bullet recovered from the police radio and another also claimed to have been fired by Duggan indicate that both were "very distinct" police issue hollow-point bullets.[40][39]
Protest march
On 6 August, a protest was held, initially peacefully, beginning at Broadwater Farm and finishing at Tottenham police station.[41] The protest was organised by friends and relatives of Duggan to make a request for justice for the family.[13][42][43] The group of some 200 people that marched on the police station included local residents, community leaders, and Duggan family members who were demanding to speak with a senior local police officer. They stayed in front of the police station hours longer than they originally planned because they were not satisfied with the police response to their questions. According to eyewitnesses, a younger and more aggressive crowd arrived at the scene around dusk, some of whom were carrying weapons. Violence erupted on the rumour that police had attacked a 16-year-old girl.[12][17]
Various opinions have been expressed and disputed among politicians, in the press and elsewhere suggesting possible contributory factors to the unrest; these include the following:
Fatal shooting of a suspect by the police
The lack of response by the police when confronted by the protest
The Chief Constable of the West Midlands Police force is reported to have characterised the behaviour of rioters in Birmingham as being motivated by greed, not anger.[47]
A firefighter douses a blaze in Tottenham during the aftermath of the initial riotRioters facing police on the evening of 6 August 2011
A series of disturbances by people in Tottenham followed the protest march on 6 August. Attacks were carried out on police cars, a double-decker bus and local businesses and homes from around 22:30. Police vans and officers from the Territorial Support Group attended the scene of disorder on Tottenham High Road. Stores were looted by rioters after windows were smashed.[61] A number of people were left homeless.[62] Fireworks, petrol bombs and other missiles were also thrown at police.[13] Twenty-six officers were injured, including one who sustained head injuries. Firefighters experienced difficulty reaching a burning building due to the disorder. [citation needed]
A BBC News correspondent said his news crew and satellite vehicle came under attack from youths throwing missiles.[63] Some news crews left the scene due to the threat of violence. A Mail on Sunday photographer was beaten and mugged.[citation needed] The police had set up a cordon around Tottenham police station and a nearby group of BBC and Sky journalists. Some of the police were on horseback.[41]
A gang of youths burned down Tottenham's post office at 22:15. Rioters threw bottles at a car in which a family of three, including a baby, were taking shelter after being forced to flee their burning home.[62]
The violent clashes were followed by the looting of Tottenham Hale retail park, which continued until dawn without intervention by the police.[12]
Wood Green
At 20:00, the rioting had spread to Wood Green, but some riot police were on hand.[62]
Location of incidents on 6 and 7 August: Red = 6 August, Yellow = 7 August
London incidents
Enfield and Ponders End
On Sunday evening, 7 August, violent disturbances erupted in Enfield, to the north of Tottenham, among heavy presence of riot police.[64]
Enfield Town centre, Enfield Town Park and alleyways between there and the Palace Garden shopping centre were being guarded by police. A heavy police presence was seen outside Enfield Town railway station where people arriving were being searched for security reasons.[65]
Riot police had arrived in Enfield Town by the afternoon of 7 August as several small groups of hooded youngsters arrived in cars, buses and trains. Around 100 people were waiting in small groups in the vicinity of Enfield Town station in Southbury Road.[14]
Some disorder sparked from around 5:30; a police car in Church Street was pelted with bricks.[66]HMV's branch in Church Street was amongst the other shops that were reportedly attacked.[67] A police helicopter hovered over the area to monitor events.[14]
At around 19:00, police tackled a group of around thirty youths to push them back onto Southbury Road towards the junction with Great Cambridge Road. Police dogs were also deployed at the scene.[67] Similar action drove back approximately 50 people along Southbury Road via Queens Street, after a preceding clash with hooligans outside a nearby supermarket.[68]
At 19:30, both Metropolitan Police officers and reinforcements from Kent Police turned Enfield into a cordoned off "sterile area" and began to tackle the local disturbances.[69] These included robberies of the Enfield Retail Park.
The scenes of Enfield were "reminiscent of Tottenham, though smaller."[64]
Brixton
Six fire engines tackled a blaze at a Foot Lockershoe shop in Brixton.[70][71] Riot police and youths clashed near a local Currys store that was broken into during disturbances in Brixton.[69] Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, a local resident described "hundreds" of men and women entering the electrical store and emerging with TVs and other electrical goods.[72] Upon police arriving, the looters attacked, throwing rocks and the contents of bins at officers.[72] A branch of Halfords was targeted and looted by youths.[72]
One Brixton resident said: “People were coming to Brixton from outside the area. I was getting out of Brixton Tube last night about 22:30 and going up the escalator when about 10 teenagers ran up the escalator and pushed me to one side.”[73]
By 11:57, both Tesco and Foot Locker were targeted by looters. Lambeth Council’s leader, Councillor Steve Reed said of the mobs in Streatham, "They were looters not rioters"[74]
Looting had spread to Brixton in the evening.[75]
Wood Green
There was further disorder in neighbouring Wood Green, two miles (3 km) away, during the early hours of 7 August, when widespread looting broke out[76] in which around 100 youths targeted high-street game shops, electrical stores and clothing chains.[77] Others ransacked local shops on Wood Green High Road.[78] A family-run jeweller was among the retailers affected.[79]
Again, the police did not intervene to stop the looting.[12] The mostly Turkish and Kurdish shop owners along Wood Green, Turnpike Lane and Green Lanes, were said to have formed local 'protection units' around their shops.[78]
Islington: The windscreen of a police vehicle was smashed out as groups of youths caused a disturbance in Islington during the night of 7 August.[70]
Leyton: Looting at Currys in Leyton Mills retail park and bicycle shop Bike Shack.[81]
Oxford Circus: Overnight, the evening's violence spread to Oxford Circus, central London, as about 50 youths gathered, and damaged some local property.[69][82]
Shepherd's Bush: The police skirmished on the Edward Wood Estate in Shepherd's Bush, while a shop had been broken into in King's Road. [83]
Streatham: the T-Mobile, JD Sports and other shops were ransacked. Councillor Mark Bennett said the owner of one store in Streatham High Road was hospitalised after a mob attacked the shop.[73]
Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire:Looters and rioters attacked two police cars and two jewellers in Waltham Cross High Street at around 21:50. A specialist public order unit was sent to the area, along with sections of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Police Dog Unit.[84]
By 07:59, the Metropolitan Police Commander Christine Jones said: "This is a challenging situation with small pockets of violence, looting and disorder breaking out on a number of boroughs."[85] Jewellery stores across Tottenham, Enfield and Wood Green have all suffered break-ins, Professional Jewellers reported.[79] The Victoria line was closed between Stockwell and Brixton "due to civil unrest", according to London Underground.[75] Angel, Islington, Stoke Newington and Wood Green were in police lockdown.[75] All 32 boroughs of London have been placed on riot alert.[86]
Croydon
Stand-off between rioters and police in Croydon
Police closed the entire area around West Croydon station on the evening of 8 August. Bricks, bottles and stones were thrown at police, and an Argos store was broken into and looted. A large furniture store, House of Reeves, which had been in Croydon since 1867,[87][88] was set alight and burned to the ground.[89][90][91][92] Arsonists struck later that night and destroyed another building in the Reeves Corner district of Croydon. [87] A Sky News satellite van came under attack in Croydon. [87]
Ealing
Some Ealing businesses were asked by police to close at 5pm.[93] On Ealing Broadway a group of 200 people[87] attacked police cars[94] and vandalised and looted shops.[87]
Later on around Haven Green, by Ealing Broadway tube station, cars and a bus were set alight and many other cars vandalised,[93] shops had their windows smashed and a supermarket was looted[95] and nearby residential properties were burgled.[96] Near Ealing Green several more shops were looted[97] and several cars torched[97] and a supermarket set alight with petrol bombs.[96] Rioters attempting to vandalise two pubs in this area were dissuaded by the customers and staff.[98] Later on hundreds of young people looted shops in West Ealing.[99] The was also minor trouble in Ealing Green. [87] A man was assaulted and robbed when he tried to remonstrate with rioters. He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.[7]
London Borough of Enfield
Both London Borough of Enfield and Ponders End saw more trouble on the morning of 8 August, several shops in Enfield Town and in the nearby A10retail park were vandalised and looted, and there were reports of two vehicles set on fire.[69] A large crowd of youths moved westwards, toward nearby Ponders End and wrecked a local Tesco.[100] Hundreds of riot police and canine units arrived with vans and charging at groups of teenagers until they disappeared into local side streets, smashing cars and shop windows on the way.[100][70] Looting had spread to Enfield.[75] A large Sony distribution centre was set alight and the fire destroyed the building.[101]
London Borough of Hillingdon
Police were praised for their efforts in preventing riots occurring in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Police manned positions in Uxbridge High Street and Hayes Town. However one unspecified crime occurred in the Tesco on Uxbridge Road, Hillingdon town, which was closed and cordoned off by police this morning. [102]
Barnet: About 60 people were chased off by riot police after looting shops in Barnet in the night. [104][105] Minor disturbances occurred at the Brent Cross shopping centre.[106]
Chelsea: Looters broke into an antiques store in King's Road.[80]
Chingford Mount:Three police officers hospitalised after being hit by a fast-moving vehicle in Chingford Mount, Waltham Forest, at 00.45 on 8 August. The officers had started making arrests after a shop was in the process of being looted by youths.[70]
Clapham Junction: The windows of many shops on Lavender Hill and St. John's Road were smashed; many were looted, and one shop was destroyed by fire.[108] The Debenhams store was looted that night.[87]
Colliers Wood: By 22:12 Looting and vandalism hit Colliers Wood retail park until police arive. A standoff developed after 21.30 after police withdrew from the Tandem Centre, where the rioters broke into the shops including Sports Direct, JD Sports, PC World and Mothercare.[109]
Crystal Palace: At 12.10 GMT, a group of Crystal Palace residents united to see off the looters. [110]
Elephant and Castle: Up to 20 shops on the Walworth Road were broken into at about 9.30pm and looted for up to an hour before police arrived.[111]
Fulham: Nine arrests occurred as the violence spread to Fulham.[112] The area was cleared by about 1am, with only a smashed window at a Foot Locker shop.[112] Police officers stood guard outside PC World in the Wandsworth Bridge Road business park, as looters threatened to storm in.[112][83]
Hackney:Burnt-out and vandalised car in Hackney Sporadic skirmishes were reported to have occurred between police and groups of young people in the area around Mare Street, Hackney.[113] There were also reports of petrol bombs being thrown and youths throwing bottles and the contents of bins. Some bins have also been set on fire, and the mounted and riot police charged retreating gangs.[75] Cars were on fire.[75]
Harlesden: Shops were looted in the town centre, as well as a jewellery shop in Harrow Road.[87][114]
Ilford: A jewellery shop was targeted and an electrical store was also broken into. Lines of riot police protected Ilford Police Station. A man, believed to be in his late 20s, was treated by paramedics in Ilford Hill at about 7.30pm. One eyewitness has said the man was “intentionally” hit by a car, which then drove off.[115]
Peckham: Numerous shops on Rye Lane and Peckham High Street were looted by a crowd of three to four hundred rioters. A bus was set on fire on Southampton Way and Regen's, a lingerie store on Rye Lane, was destroyed by fire.[111]
Surrey Quays: Shops in the Surrey Quays shopping centre and a local Decathlon store were looted by youths.[111]
Sutton: Criminal damage was reported to businesses on the High Street and in the Rose Hill area, as well as the looting of a local convenience store.[118]
Tooting: By 18:01, two stores were attacked, a CeX branch on Mitcham Lane and a Ladbrokes branch on Franciscan Road.[119][120]
Walthamstow and Walthamstow Central: Over 30 youths wrecked and looted shops, including a branch of BHS, in Walthamstow Central on the morning of 8 August.[69] Looting had spread to Walthamstow.[75] A Santander branch had been broken into. A Barclays cash machine had been ripped right out of the bank.
Woolwich: Major disturbances overnight. A J D Wetherspoon pub and a police car were completely burnt out, and a restaurant was set alight. Numerous other buildings along the high street had windows smashed, with many stores – including jewellers, computer game stores, banks, phone stores, bookmakers and fast food restaurants – being looted; Videos appeared online showing severely outnumbered police being chased by rioters.[121][122][123]
Political and legal response
Croydon: The council gave looters a stark warning to stay away from Croydon or face the full force of the law by 12.35.[124]
Birmingham: Some shop windows in the city centre were smashed and there were reports of looting in several areas. An unmanned police station in Handsworth was set alight.[125] There were 130 arrests.[126]
Nottingham: A police station was attacked by rioters and car tyres were ignited in the St Ann's area.[131]
Oxford and Reading: Some "copycat" violence reported by Thames Valley Police; a McDonald's outlet was burned and vandalised in Oxford and a car had been overturned in Reading.[132]
Tuesday, 9 August
Early hours
London
Beckton: Unspecified trouble at the Gallions Reach shopping centre resulted in multiple road closures. [133]
Bromley: Rioters attacked a sports bar during the morning.[134]
Enfield: Looters burned a Sony CD warehouse in Solar Way.[87]
Merton: Hooligans attacked the Tandem Centre in Merton that morning. Mothercare, JD Sports and PC World were wrecked in the morning. Arsonists destroyed another building in the Reeve corner district of Croydon.[87][137]
Wembley: A police officer was run over by looters at approximately 2:50 am. Three people were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.[138]
Wimbledon: Some minor incidents occurred in south Wimbledon, the Wimbledon town centre, and a handful of shops in Wimbledon Village. The police eventually dispersed them.[137]
Time Magazine wrote "Not since the blitz during World War II have so many fires raged in London so intensely at one time".[139]
Daytime
Political and legal response
Prime Minister David Cameron returned early from his holiday in Italy and chaired an emergency meeting of COBR.[140] In a statement at 11:00, Cameron announced that 16,000 police officers will be deployed in London in anticipation of further violence, with all police leave cancelled. It was also announced that Parliament will be recalled on 11 August to debate the situation.[141] Over 525 people have been arrested since the start of the disruption, and the Metropolitan Police have announced their intention to use baton rounds against rioters if necessary.[142] East Ham’s Labour MP Stephen Timms and Newham’s Mayor Sir Robin Wales praised police for their efforts that day.[143]
Incidents
Balham: By 13.00, looters had hit the T-Mobile store and emptied it over a period of 90 minutes. [144]
Barking: A 20 year old Malaysian student was beaten and then robbed twice by looters in Barking on August 9. He suffered a broken jaw, requiring surgery and a night stay in hospital.[145]
Dartford, Bexley and Bexleyheath: The Bluewater Shopping Centre drafted in extra police officers to deal with the potential threat of rioters. The extra police were from a riot squad. Minor scuffles had hit Bexley early that day. [107]
Newham: Gangs of youths looted and vandalised parts of East Ham, including branches of Argos, Primark, Tesco, a electrical shop and banks.[143] Stones were thrown at the Argos store in Stratford and so police intervened. The front of Stratford Centre was heavily guarded by police to prevent trouble.[143]
Sutton: By 10:01, the entrance to Matalan in Sutton was targeted. An estimated 25 policemen arrived in vans armed with batons and shields in case if the situation escalated.[146]
Night
West Midlands county
Birmingham, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton: Disorderly conduct in the city centre[clarification needed] with three people arrested.[147] Some groups tried to get into the Mailbox shopping and office centre, and the Pallisades shopping complex. [148] Police quickly dispersed a mob outside a post office in Olton[clarification needed]. Officers wielding batons eventually dispersed the crowd by charging them, but soon after they gathered again outside a House of Fraser store, their numbers swelling to around 500.[149] Shortly after 19.00 the mob broke into and looted a nearby Tesco. The Police dispersed the 300 strong crowd using a "thunderflash" device[clarification needed][citation needed], quickly charging the crowd, but the gangs regrouped and attacked shops, including the Jobcentre in Queen Street and Burton's menswear.[149] A police station in the suburb of Handsworth was also burnt.[149]
Cash Converters store in Salford
Elsewhere
London: A quiet night with no major reports of violence. Many shops and businesses closed early in Sutton after false rumours of widespread violence in South London. Your Local Guardian claimed that these rumours were posted using Twitter. It was largely quiet across South London. There was no rioting or looting in Sutton or Croydon.[150]
Basildon: About 350 youths smashed shop windows and set fires in Basildon town centre before being dispersed by police. Firefighters were attacked by rioters as they attempted to respond to an incident.[151]
Bristol: Fires and disturbances at YOI Ashfield.[153]
Cambridge: A group of 30 to 40 youths clashed with police by Midsummer Common and the Grafton Centre. Five arrests were made. Two police officers were treated for minor injuries.[154]
Canvey Island: Eleven arson attacks were reported with the targets ranging from rubbish bins to vehicles.[151]
Cardiff: Small fires at two disused buildings, an attempted burglary at JD Sports, and criminal damage to a takeaway.[155]
Coventry: In the Cheylesmore area of Coventry a crowd set two vehicles alight and threw petrol bombs, bricks and stones at police. Nine people were arrested.[156]
Portsmouth: Police crackdown on social network users inciting violence and disorderly conduct.[163]
Salford: 80 people confront police at Salford Precinct. A library was set alight and there was looting.[159] A gang of up to 200 youths raided an off-licence and the main shopping precinct in Salford. [148]
By 9 August, 563 arrests had been made since the start of the disruption in London,[165] and 100 arrests made in Birmingham.[166]
Wednesday, 10 August
Incidents
Burning car in Manchester
London: Groups of citizens and shopowners formed in Enfield, Eltham and Southall, in an attempt to prevent looting. A senior police officer said that vigilante groups were hampering police operations.[167]
Bexley and Gloucester both saw local violence, with some stone and bottle throwing that morning, but order was quickly restored.[11][168]
Birmingham: Had reports of shots fired at officers during the early hours.[169]
Bristol: Avon and Somerset police arrested 19 people following a second night of minor trouble.[11]
Coulsdon: Looters raided GT Shooting's gun shop, in Chipstead Valley Road at 08:47.[170]
Eltham: Later that night, police clashed with a bottle-throwing crowd in Eltham of about 200 vigilantes containing many English Defence League members.[171] Jack England, EDL's south-east regional organiser, claimed to be combining 50 EDL members with local vigilantes to control the streets.[172] Overnight a small group of men, threw stones and bottles at the police until the thugs were dispersed. [173][174]
Leicester Police officers arrested 13 people following disturbances in the city centre.[11]
Liverpool: 200 missile-throwing youths gathered in the south Liverpool area of Toxteth and caused disorder and damage, according to Merseyside police. Scuffles in Edge Hill, and Wavertree were dispersed. The Merseyside police force said 35 arrests were made.[11]
West Midlands County: West Midlands Police responded to reports of a large group of people in Wolverhampton city centre after shops were damaged.[11] Parts of West Bromwich town centre and several vehicles were set on fire. [11]
Political and legal response
David Cameron chaired another emergency meeting of COBRA, mid-morning.[176] In a statement at 11:05, Cameron announced that plastic bullets were available to the police for use in response to the riots if necessary, and contingency plans have been put in place to make water cannon available at 24 hours notice.[177]
Persistent heavy rain in parts of England had an effect on numbers of rioters or wandering groups on the streets.[178]
Arrests
By 08:05, police had made more than 1,100 arrests, including 768 in London, 35 in Liverpool, 5 in Milton Keynes, 90 in Nottingham, 13 in Leicester and 19 in Bristol.[11] By 15:00, the police had made 113 arrests in Greater Manchester.[179]
A suspect was arrested for setting fire to the House of Reeves store in Croydon.[180]
David Cameron told lawmakers there would be no "culture of fear" on Britain's streets, and that the government would consider taking gang-fighting tips from American cities such as Boston. He mentioned former Los Angeles and New York Police Chief Bill Bratton as someone who could offer advice. He said he also wanted to build on the success of programmes to tackle gang culture, such as the task force used by Strathclyde Police.[181][182]
Cameron said that the government, police and intelligence services were also looking at whether there should be limits on the use of social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook or services such as BlackBerry Messenger to spread organised disorder, and whether to turn off social networks or stop people texting during times of social unrest.[181][183][184]
Arrests
The number of people arrested in London rose to 922 since trouble began and 401 suspects had been charged.[181]
The police said they had arrested 330 people over the past four nights.[181]
Coordination of attacks
There were reports that the incidents had been coordinated using a variety of communications media, including BlackBerry Messenger broadcasts.[185][186]Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of the BlackBerry, announced that they were cooperating with police.[187] The Metropolitan Police considered whether to shut down the service in an effort to hamper coordination of rioting.[188]
The police stated that some messages were posted on Twitter that were "inflammatory, inaccurate", and they were considering arresting people for inciting violence.[194] Police arrested a number of people across the UK for attempting to incite riots on Facebook.[195][196][197][198]
Effects
A burnt-out building being doused with water. Built for the London Co-operative Society in 1930 as Union Point, the building included a Carpetright on the ground floor and many apartments on the upper storeys.
In Winson Green, Birmingham, three men - Haroon Jahan, 21, Shahzad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31 - were killed in a hit-and-run incident while attempting to protect their neighbourhood from rioters and looters.[5][202][203]
A 68-year-old man, Richard Mannington-Bowes, died on August 11 after he was attacked while dealing with a litter-bin fire in Ealing on the night of 8 August.[204]
In London, between Monday afternoon and the early hours of Tuesday, 14 people were injured by rioters. These included a 75-year-old woman who suffered a broken hip in Hackney.[6]
In Barking, North-East London, 20-year-old Malaysian student Mohd Asyraf Haziq was beaten bloody and then robbed twice by looters emptying his rucksack. Footage of the mugging was uploaded onto YouTube. He suffered a broken jaw, requiring surgery.[8][145]
111 police officers and five police dogs were injured.[205]
Property damage
Shopkeepers estimated the damages in their Tottenham Hale and Tottenham branches at several million pounds.[206] In addition, the riots caused the irretrievable loss of heritage architecture.[207] The Association of British Insurers have said they expect the industry to be paying out in excess of £200 million.[208]
Transport
On 9 August the Croydon Tramlink was partly closed due to damage inflicted along its route.[87]Transport for London, London Overground and London Underground shut Barking, Peckham Rye and Harrow-on-the-Hill and Hackney Central stations. The train operating company Southern later announced that trains were not stopping at many stations in south London.[87]National Express stopped serving Wolverhampton and suburban stops in the Birmingham area (but not Birmingham Coach station itself) as well as Manchester (but not Manchester Airport).[209]
On 8 August 2011, a Sony Music-owned warehouse in Enfield which acted as the primary distribution centre for independent music distributor PIAS Entertainment Group was set on fire. Most of PIAS' inventory is considered lost including the entire British stock of LPs and CDs for Domino Records, XL Records and over 100 other European independent record labels.[219] Several album and single releases were announced to be affected or delayed by the fire.[220] On 11 August 2011, London police reported that they had arrested three teenagers in connection with the fire.[221]
Looting
Mass looting has been reported in various locations and it has been suspected that these are planned and organised. Estimated losses have been indicated to be in the region of £100m.[222] The Metropolitan Police Service has assigned 450 detectives to hunt for rioters and looters.[223] The list of photographed looters has been made available on their website.[224]
Reactions
Political and legal
Following the initial disorder in Tottenham, the constituency's Labour MP David Lammy appealed for calm, saying that "true justice can only follow a thorough investigation of the facts"[225] and that Tottenham had had its "heart ripped out" by the riots.[226] He said that rioters were not representative of the local community as a whole[227] and insisted that the Independent Police Complaints Commission must fully establish the circumstances of Mark Duggan's death.[22]Streatham’s Labour MP Chuka Umunna condemned the violence in Brixton and Tottenham.[100][73][74] Umunna also called for the BlackBerry Messenger service, used by some of the rioters to coordinate their activities, to be "temporarily disabled" between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. BST.[228]
John Randall, the Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip said: "It’s a small minority of people causing the trouble. The events in Ealing brought it home, it’s just down the Uxbridge Road."[229]
Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott called for the introduction of a curfew, while Newark MP Patrick Mercer, formerly a British Army colonel, called for the deployment of water cannons.[230] In December 2010 Theresa May, the Home Secretary, had said that the deployment of water cannon by police forces on the British mainland was an operational decision which had been "resisted until now by senior police officers."[231] On 9 August 2011, May rejected their use and said: "The way we police in Britain is not through use of water cannon. The way we police in Britain is through consent of communities." However, Ken Livingstone, the former London mayor, said "The issue of water cannon would be very useful given the level of arson we are seeing here." Scotland Yard said officers did not have any water cannon and if their use was approved they would have to be brought over from Northern Ireland.[232] Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Stephen Kavanagh confirmed that police were considering using baton rounds against rioters, not previously used by mainland police in public order operations (though they were first approved for use in England and Wales in 2001).[233]
May said: "I condemn utterly the violence in Tottenham... Such disregard for public safety and property will not be tolerated, and the Metropolitan Police have my full support in restoring order."[234] She returned to the UK from holiday early to meet with senior police officials on 8 August.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister's office added: "The rioting in Tottenham last night was utterly unacceptable. There is no justification for the aggression the police and the public faced, or for the damage to property."[234]
London's mayor, Boris Johnson, who cut short a holiday in Canada to return to the UK on 9 August, said: "I'm appalled at the scenes of violence and destruction in Tottenham"[227] whilst his deputy Kit Malthouse told a Sky News reporter that "criminal elements were to blame for the trouble."[227]
The Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Steve Kavanagh, has stated that the amount of officers deployed tripled between 6 and 7 August.[237]
Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the "sickening scenes of people looting, vandalising, thieving, robbing" and told rioters "You will feel the full force of the law. And if you are old enough to commit these crimes, you are old enough to face the punishment."[238]Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell called the damage caused in the London Borough of Croydon "sickening".[239]
The British National Party described the rioting as race riots and stated that they were carried out by 'predominately immigrant youths'.[240] The English Defence League took to the streets of Eltham.[172]
In a strongly worded criticism of what he deems to be a misplaced "hyper-sensitivity about race", dating back to the Macpherson Report of 1999, Civitas director David Green attributed the reluctance by police to use force to a fear of disciplinary action. He said that "officers in charge of a riot think it safer to wait for orders from the top".[241]
Several countries issued warnings expressing caution to travellers visiting Britain during the riots.[242]
Press
The Sun called the scenes "shameful" and lamented that "[w]ith the London Olympics less than a year away, our reputation is being damaged at the worst moment." It added: "This is anarchy, pure and simple. And it presents a serious threat to life and property."[243]
The Daily Telegraph's editorial said: "What we have experienced in London and elsewhere since Saturday night is a wholly new phenomenon: violent disorder whose sole intent is criminal... In such circumstances, there can be only one response if the law-abiding majority is to be protected: the thugs must be taught to respect the law of the land the hard way."[244]
The Guardian called on the public to back the police: "... Britain's 2011 riots have become a defining contest between disorder and order. In that contest, important caveats notwithstanding, there is only one right side to be on. The attacks, the destruction, the criminality and the reign of fear must be stopped. The rule of law in the cities of Britain must not only be defended against delinquent destruction. It must also be enforced."[245]
In its 9 August leading article, The Independent said the police's handling of Mark Duggan's death "looks to have been poor," and that there is "context of mistrust of the police here." The paper added that "it is spurious to draw a connection between that disaffection [by the inner-city youth] and specific outbreaks of violence of the sort we have seen in recent days."[246]
Public
Many people called for the government to urge the police to deploy anti-riot methods often used outside Britain, such as water cannon and baton rounds, the use of which has long been resisted by senior police commanders and politicians.[247][248][249] A third of respondents in a YouGov poll supported the use of 'live bullets'.[250]
Tens of thousands of users of social networking sites coordinated clean-up operations of their local shopping areas and streets. Social media sites Twitter and Facebook were also used for reporting information on the riots and for a voluntary citizens' operation to clear up riot-hit areas, notably via the #RiotCleanUp hashtag, with tens of thousands following the @riotcleanup Twitter account.[251][252][253] In Clapham Junction, dozens of volunteers carrying brooms turned out to assist with clean-up efforts.[254] On Facebook, over 900,000 people joined a group entitled 'Supporting the Met Police against the London rioters'.[255] Many of the looters have not bothered to cover their faces as they raided electrical stores, sports shops and off-licences. Some have even posed for pictures with their haul, posting them on social-networking sites.[256] The Big Community Clean began in to Clapham town after night of looting and violence in a display of public unity and London civic pride on 10 August.[257] At 08:00 on 10 August, Jeremy Myers used Twitter alert to mobilise volunteers in Piccadilly Gardens to clean up there and in Piccadilly Plaza. Manchester City Councillor Pat Karney, the city centre spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: " The true Mancunian civic spirit has been shown in Manchester today.” Staff from city centre businesses and Manchester Metropolitan University joined the volunteers, as food outlets gave out free drinks and snacks.[258]
On 8 August, a woman from Hackney was filmed by a reporter, giving a speech to looters close to the rioting. The resulting "Heroine of Hackney" video subsequently went viral.[259][260][261]
Some journalists have made comparisons between these riots and the 2005 riots in France.[262][263] In both cases, the unrest started with the death of a young person during a confrontation with the police.[262] In fact, a television report by France 2, broadcast in November 2005, showed a visit by a delegation from Évry (just outside Paris) to Tottenham, with the report calling "Tottenham part of London 'regularly shaken by riots' in earlier decades, where 'a lot of money was invested' and 'the promotion of ethnic minorities,' had been made a priority."[262]
Sangat TV and Sikh Channel urged their viewers to protect Sikh temples after a report that one was attacked in Birmingham.[271] On the night of 9–10 August 2011, following violence, arson and rioting in London, members of the Sikh community in Southall volunteered to stand guard at various city Gurudwaras, with as many as 200 to 300 Sikhs of mixed age groups gathered in various Gurudwaras across Southall to safeguard their places of worship from rioters.[272][273]
On 10 August, police clashed with a bottle-throwing crowd of about 200 vigilantes in Eltham, containing many English Defence League members.[171] Jack England, the EDL's south-east regional organiser, claimed to be combining 50 EDL members with local vigilantes to patrol the streets.[172] 90 EDL members joined vigilantes in Enfield.[274][275]
Police
The Metropolitan Police Service launched Operation Withern, an investigation into the events leading up to and during the riots.[276][69]
Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan of Greater Manchester police criticised "unprecedented" criminality. On 10 August, he warned: "Hundreds and hundreds of people, we have your image, we have your face, we have your acts of wanton criminality on film."[278]
Eviction threats
The city councils of Manchester and Salford are reported to be investigating their powers for ways of evicting tenants if they, or their children, have been involved in violence or looting in their cities.[279]
^ abcSam Jones, Paul Lewis, Matthew Taylor and Ben Quinn (8 July 2011). "London riots spread south of Thames". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 8 August 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"London and UK riots day three aftermath: live coverage". 9 August 2011. Police have disclosed that live baton rounds - non-lethal plastic bullets - may be deployed tonight. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Kavanagh of the Metropolitan police told our crime correspondent, Sandra Laville: "If we need to, we will do so." He said 525 people have been arrested since rioting began on Saturday, and about 100 have been charged.
Images of the Tottenham riot on 6 August 2011 (BBC)
Media related to 2011 riots in the United Kingdom at Wikimedia Commons
