2011 England riots

Not to be confused with 2011 United Kingdom anti-austerity protests.

2011 England riots
Firefighters douse a shop and apartments destroyed by arson during the initial rioting in Tottenham, North London
Date	6 - 10 August 2011
Location	Several districts across Greater London, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Bristol and several other areas.
Casualties and losses
6 deaths 16+ civilian injuries 186 police injuries

In August 2011, widespread rioting occurred in parts of England. The riots began in Tottenham, North London, following a peaceful protest sparked by the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan there by officers of the Metropolitan Police Service on 4 August 2011. The ensuing looting, arson, assaults, muggings, burglary, robbery and disorder spread across London and to other areas of England, with the worst disturbances mostly centred on a small number of major cities.

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 London, including Wood Green, Enfield Town, Ponders End, Walthamstow, Islington and Brixton. Vandalism, arson, looting and violent disorder also were reported in several boroughs of London, extending as far south as Croydon. At least 186 police officers were reported injured. On 8 August, rioting and looting occurred in Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham, Bristol, Medway and Leicester. As of 13 August, 2275 people have been arrested, of which more than 1000 have been charged. A total of five civilians have been killed: a man was shot on 8 August, three men were run over by a car driven by another man on 10 August, and an elderly man beaten in Ealing on 8 August died on 11 August.

In response to the incidents, Prime Minister David Cameron, Home Secretary Theresa May, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Opposition Leader Ed Miliband cut short their holidays to return to London. Parliament was recalled on 11 August to debate the situation. By this time, disturbances and unrest had largely abated and thousands of residents across the country had started the clean-up process. Arrests and investigations are ongoing.

On 11 August 2011, the Association of British Insurers estimated that the riots caused more than £200 million worth of damage.

Background to the initial disturbances in London

Historical context

Described by one journalist as "the worst disturbances of their kind since the 1995 Brixton riots", a local resident expressed the opinion that the unrest was associated with poor relations between the police and the black community in London, 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. However, other sources have pointed out that many ethnic backgrounds were well represented among the rioters.

Commentators likened the riots to the Broadwater Farm riot of 1985, during which a police officer, Keith Blakelock, was murdered. The disturbances were preceded by calls for better oversight of the Metropolitan Police, repeating observations which go back to the death of Stephen Lawrence and the New Cross Fire. In April 2011 there was a large nonviolent march to Scotland Yard as a result of the death of Smiley Culture, but the event was little reported. The very widespread scale of the violence has prompted comparisons with the Gordon Riots of 1780.

Commentators have attributed the causes of the riots to factors including high poverty and unemployment, the growing gap between rich and poor, gang culture, and the lowest social mobility in the developed world.

Haringey and Hackney Borough

Tottenham has a multicultural population, with many ethnic groups inhabiting the area. It contains one of the largest and most significant populations of African-Caribbean people. Others such as Colombians, Eastern Europeans, Kurdish, Turkish-Cypriot, Turkish, Somalis and Irish also have local populations. South Tottenham is reported to be the most ethnically-diverse area in Europe, with up to 300 languages being spoken by its residents.

According to David Lammy MP, Tottenham has the highest unemployment rate in London and the eighth highest in the United Kingdom, and it has some of the highest poverty rates within the country. The number of people chasing every one job vacancy in Haringey has been put at 23 and 54 in separate reports, and fears had spread of disorder after youth club closures in recent months.

There have also been major ethnic tensions between the African-Caribbean community and the police since (and before) the 1985 Broadwater Farm riot, in which, according to local MP David Lammy, the "cracks that already existed between the police and the community became deep fissures".

Shooting of Mark Duggan

Ferry Lane, Tottenham Hale, location of the shooting

Main article: Death of Mark Duggan

The fatal shooting by police of a 29-year-old man named Mark Duggan, an alleged crack cocaine dealer and member of the 'Star Gang' who was carrying a converted blank-firing handgun that had been converted to fire live rounds, took place during a planned arrest on 4 August 2011 on the Ferry Lane bridge, next to Tottenham Hale station.

The incident was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which is standard practice whenever a member of the public dies as a result of police action. 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.

Friends and relatives of Duggan claimed that he was unarmed. The IPCC stated that Duggan was carrying a loaded handgun, and that there was no evidence that Duggan shot at the police.

After the shooting, the media widely reported that a bullet was found embedded in a police radio, implying Duggan fired on the police. 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.

Protest march

On 6 August, a protest was held, initially peacefully, beginning at Broadwater Farm and finishing at Tottenham police station. The protest was organised by friends and relatives of Duggan to make a request for justice for the family. 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.

Causes

A YouGov poll was carried out on the 8–9 August 2011 asking what those surveyed believed to be the main cause of the riots.

  Criminal behaviour (42%)

  Gang culture (26%)

  Government cuts (8%)

  Unemployment (5%)

  Racial tensions (5%)

  Poor policing (3%)

  Don't know (5%)

  Other (6%)

Main article: Causes of the 2011 England riots

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
• Local tensions with police
• Criminal opportunism
• Recreational violence
• 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.
• Social irresponsibility
• Gang culture
• Black gangster culture (proposed by historian David Starkey)
• The Underclass
• Economic crisis
• High unemployment and cuts in public services
• Social exclusion; poverty; the growing gap between rich and poor.
• The lack of response by the police when confronted by the protest

Incitement

There were reports that the incidents had been incited using a variety of communications media, including BlackBerry Messenger broadcasts. Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of the BlackBerry, announced that it was cooperating with police. The Metropolitan Police considered whether to shut down the service in an effort to hamper coordination of rioting.

A hacker group called "TeaMp0isoN" hacked Blackberry after RIM offered to help police.

The police stated that some messages were posted on Twitter that were "inflammatory, inaccurate", and they were considering arresting people for inciting violence.

Incidents

Saturday, 6 August

Tottenham and Tottenham Hale

A firefighter douses a blaze in Tottenham during the aftermath of the initial riot

Rioters facing police on the evening of 6 August 2011

A series of disturbances by people in Tottenham followed the protest march on 6 August.

At 22:15, a gang of youths burned down Tottenham's post office. 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.

From around 22:30, Attacks were carried out on police cars, a double-decker bus and local businesses and homes. Police vans and officers from the Territorial Support Group attended the scene of disorder on Tottenham High Road. Shops were looted by rioters after windows were smashed. A number of people were left homeless. Fireworks, petrol bombs and other missiles were also thrown at police. Twenty-six officers were injured, including one who sustained head injuries. Firefighters experienced difficulty reaching a burning building due to the disorder.

A BBC News correspondent said his news crew and satellite vehicle came under attack from youths throwing missiles. Some news crews left the scene due to the threat of violence. A Mail on Sunday photographer was beaten and mugged. 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.

The violent clashes were followed by the looting of Tottenham Hale retail park, which continued until dawn without intervention by the police.

Wood Green

At 20:00, the rioting had spread to Wood Green, but some riot police were on hand.

Sunday, 7 August

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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.

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.

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.

Some disorder sparked from around 5:30; a police car in Church Street was pelted with bricks. HMV's branch in Church Street was amongst the other shops that were reportedly attacked. A police helicopter hovered over the area to monitor events.

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. Similar action drove back approximately 50 people along Southbury Road via Queens Street, after a preceding clash with hooligans outside a nearby supermarket.

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. These included robberies of the Enfield Retail Park.

The scenes of Enfield were "reminiscent of Tottenham, though smaller."

Brixton

Six fire engines tackled a blaze at a Foot Locker shoe shop in Brixton. Riot police and youths clashed near a local Currys store that was broken into during disturbances in Brixton. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, a local resident described "hundreds" of men and women entering the electrical shop and emerging with TVs and other electrical goods. Upon police arriving, the looters attacked, throwing rocks and the contents of bins at officers. A branch of Halfords was targeted and looted by youths.

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.” 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" Looting had spread to Brixton in the evening.

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 in which around 100 youths targeted high-street game shops, electrical shops and clothing chains. Others ransacked local shops on Wood Green High Road. A family-run jeweller was among the retailers affected.

Again, the police did not intervene to stop the looting. 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.

Other areas

• Dalston: Looting was reported at Kingsland shopping centre in Dalston including JD Sports and Foot Locker.
• Denmark Hill: A gangland fight broke out at King's College Hospital at about 8.30?pm, where two victims of a minor stabbing had been admitted earlier.
• 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.
• Leyton: Looting at Currys in Leyton Mills retail park and bicycle shop Bike Shack.
• Oxford Circus: Overnight, the evening's violence spread to Oxford Circus, central London, as about 50 youths gathered, and damaged some local property.
• 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.
• Streatham: the T-Mobile, JD Sports and other shops were ransacked. Councillor Mark Bennett said the owner of one shop in Streatham High Road was hospitalised after a mob attacked the shop.

Hertfordshire incidents

• 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.

Monday, 8 August

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Location of incidents on 8 August

Stand-off between rioters and police in Croydon

London

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." Jewellery shops across Tottenham, Enfield and Wood Green have all suffered break-ins. The Victoria line was closed between Stockwell and Brixton "due to civil unrest", according to London Underground. Angel, Islington, Stoke Newington and Wood Green were in police lockdown. All 32 boroughs of London have been placed on riot alert.

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 shop was broken into and looted. A large furniture shop, House of Reeves, which had been in Croydon since 1867, was set alight and burned to the ground. Arsonists struck later that night and destroyed another building in the Reeves Corner district of Croydon. A Sky News satellite van came under attack in Croydon. At 7.45pm Advertiser reporter Gareth Davies was attacked and mugged while reporting on rioting and looting in Surrey Street and Church Street.

Ealing

Some Ealing businesses were asked by police to close at 5 pm. On Ealing Broadway a group of 200 people attacked police cars and vandalised and looted shops.

Later on around Haven Green, by Ealing Broadway tube station, cars and a bus were set alight and many other cars vandalised, shops had their windows smashed and a supermarket was looted and nearby residential properties were burgled. Near Ealing Green several more shops were looted and several cars torched and a supermarket set alight with petrol bombs. Rioters attempting to vandalise two pubs in this area were dissuaded by the customers and staff. Later on hundreds of young people looted shops in West Ealing. The was also minor trouble in Ealing Green. A man was assaulted and robbed when he tried to remonstrate with rioters. He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

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 A10 retail park were vandalised and looted, and there were reports of two vehicles set on fire. A large crowd of youths moved westwards, toward nearby Ponders End and wrecked a local Tesco. 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. Looting had spread to Enfield. A large Sony distribution centre was set alight and the fire destroyed the building.

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.

Elsewhere in London

• Balham: Several shops were looted.
• Barnet: About 60 people were chased off by riot police after looting shops in Barnet in the night. Minor disturbances occurred at the Brent Cross shopping centre.
• Battersea: Dozens of shops were looted.
• Bayswater: A mob of around 30 teenagers and adults targeted businesses along Queensway road. Shops including Best One and Maplin as well as Whiteley's Shopping Centre had their windows smashed. The gang tried to loot some of the businesses but a police presence repelled them away. Queensway and Ladbroke Grove tube stations closed early due to the troubles.
• Bethnal Green: Running battles with police occurred in Bethnal Green.
• Camden: Minor overnight disturbances broke out, but these were quelled by the police.
• Charlton and Lewisham: Police dispersed local riots.
• Chelsea: Looters broke into an antiques shop in King's Road.
• 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.
• 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. The Debenhams shop was looted that night.
• 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.
• Crystal Palace: At 12.10 GMT, a group of Crystal Palace residents united to see off the looters.
• Dulwich: A Tesco Express shop on East Dulwich Road and shops in Lordship Lane were looted.
• Elephant and Castle: Up to 20 shops on the Walworth Road were broken into at about 9.30 pm and looted for up to an hour before police arrived.
• Fulham: Nine arrests occurred as the violence spread to Fulham. The area was cleared by about 1 am, with only a smashed window at a Foot Locker shop. Police officers stood guard outside PC World in the Wandsworth Bridge Road business park, as looters threatened to storm in.
• Hackney: Sporadic skirmishes were reported to have occurred between police and groups of young people in the area around Mare Street, Hackney. 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. Cars were on fire.
• Harlesden: Shops were looted in the town centre, as well as a jewellery shop in Harrow Road.
• Ilford: A jewellery shop was targeted and an electrical shop 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 7.30 pm. One eyewitness has said the man was “intentionally” hit by a car, which then drove off.
• Islington: Sporadic night time riots in Islington.
• Lewisham: Sporadic rioting occurred in Lewisham in the evening, but rioters were quickly dispersed by riot police.
• Notting Hill: Diners at a restaurant (the two Michelin-starred Ledbury) were attacked and robbed by a group.
• 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 shop on Rye Lane, was destroyed by fire.
• Streatham: Sporadic night time riots in Streatham.
• Romford : many shops and businesses around romford town centres windows smashed, fires started, and debenhams in high street looted.
• Surrey Quays: Shops in the Surrey Quays shopping centre and a local Decathlon shop were looted by youths.
• 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 shop.
• Tooting: By 18:01, two shops were attacked, a CeX branch on Mitcham Lane and a Ladbrokes branch on Franciscan Road.
• 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. Looting had spread to Walthamstow. 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 shops – including jewellers, computer game shops, banks, phone shops, bookmakers and fast food restaurants – being looted; Videos appeared online showing severely outnumbered police being chased by rioters.

Outside London

Burnt-out cars in Liverpool

• 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. There were 130 arrests.
• West Bromwich: Youths rioted in parts of West Bromwich, looted business, smashing shop windows, and setting bins and cars alight.
• Bristol: Some 150 rioters reported attacking shops.
• Leeds: The Chapeltown area was hit by riots, during which 34 year-old Gavin Clarke was shot and admitted to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
• Liverpool: Disturbances in South Liverpool, in particular the area of Toxteth.
• Medway: Rioters burned cars and confronted the police.
• Nottingham: A police station was attacked by rioters and car tyres were ignited in the St Ann's area.

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.

Tuesday, 9 August

Incidents

Early hours

• Beckton: Unspecified trouble at the Gallions Reach shopping centre resulted in multiple road closures.
• Bromley: Rioters attacked a sports bar during the morning.
• Camden: Police drove back looters in Camden High Street and Chalk Farm Road, Camden.
• Enfield: Looters burned a Sony CD warehouse in Solar Way.
• 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.
• Wembley: A police officer was run over by looters at approximately 2:50 am. Three people were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
• 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.
• Major fires were started in Barking, Clapham Junction, Croydon, Dagenham, Ealing, Greenwich, and Southwark.
• Time Magazine wrote "Not since the blitz during World War II have so many fires raged in London so intensely at one time".

Daytime

• Balham: By 13.00, looters had hit the T-Mobile shop and emptied it over a period of 90 minutes.
• Barking: A 20 year old Malaysian student was beaten and then robbed twice by looters in Barking on 9 August. He suffered a broken jaw, requiring surgery and a night stay in hospital.
• 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.
• Newham: Gangs of youths looted and vandalised parts of East Ham, including branches of Argos, Primark, Tesco, an electronics shop as well as banks. Stones were being thrown at the Argos shop in Stratford until the police had intervened. The front of Stratford Centre was heavily guarded by police to prevent trouble.
• 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.
• West Bromwich: Youths rioted in West Bromwich High Street, looted business, smashing shop windows, and setting bins and cars alight. Police cordoned off the riot zone and some police vans were used to control the mob.

Night

• Birmingham: Disorderly conduct in Birmingham city centre with three people arrested. Some groups tried to get into the Mailbox shopping and office centre, and the Pallisades shopping complex. Officers wielding batons eventually dispersed the crowd by charging them, but soon after they gathered again outside a House of Fraser shop, their numbers swelling to around 500. Shortly after 19.00 the mob broke into and looted a nearby Tesco. The Police dispersed the 300 strong crowd using a "thunderflash" device., quickly charging the crowd, but the gangs regrouped and attacked shops, including the Jobcentre in Queen Street and Burton's menswear. A police station in the suburb of Handsworth was also burnt.

• Olton: Police quickly dispersed a mob outside a post office in Olton.

• Coventry: A minor incident occurred in one street in a suburb of Coventry.

• Wolverhampton: West Midlands Police responded to reports of a large group of people in Wolverhampton city centre after shops were damaged.

Cash Converters shop in Salford

• 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.
• 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.
• Birkenhead: Cars set alight and damage to businesses.
• Bristol: Fires and disturbances at YOI Ashfield.
• 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.
• Canvey Island: Eleven arson attacks were reported with the targets ranging from rubbish bins to vehicles.
• Huddersfield: An attempt was made to loot an Asda shop.
• Liverpool: 200 rioters hurl missiles at officers in Smithdown Road.
• Manchester: At least one building was set alight. All buses, trams and taxis were stopped from entering the city centre. Looting started in the evening in St. Ann's Square, Market Street, Piccadilly Gardens and Oldham Street. Several shops were looted including a Marks & Spencer food shop, several pawn shops and an Oxfam charity shop. A Miss Selfridge shop on Market Street was set alight.
• Nottingham: Multiple incidents were reported including attacks on police stations in The Meadows, St Ann's and Canning Circus near Radford.
• Portsmouth: Police crackdown on social network users inciting violence and disorderly conduct.
• Salford: 80 people confront police at Salford Precinct. A library was set alight and there was looting. A gang of up to 200 youths raided an off-licence and the main shopping precinct in Salford. The Lidl supermarket on nearby Fitzwarren Street was looted, trashed and set alight by rioters.

Political and legal response

Prime Minister David Cameron returned early from his holiday in Italy and chaired an emergency meeting of COBR. 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. 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. East Ham’s Labour MP Stephen Timms and Newham’s Mayor Sir Robin Wales praised police for their efforts that day.

Arrests

By 9 August 563 arrests had been made since the start of the disruption in London, and 100 arrests made in Birmingham.

Wednesday, 10 August

• London: Groups of citizens and shop owners formed in Enfield, Eltham and Southall, in an attempt to prevent looting. A senior police officer said that vigilante groups were hampering police operations. In the evening, police clashed with a bottle-throwing crowd of about 200 vigilantes in Eltham, containing many English Defence League members. Jack England, the EDL's south-east regional organiser, claimed to be combining 50 EDL members with local vigilantes to control the streets. Overnight a small group of men, threw stones and bottles at the police until the thugs were dispersed.
• Bexley and Gloucester both saw local violence, with some stone and bottle throwing that morning, but order was quickly restored.
• Bristol: Avon and Somerset police arrested 19 people following a second night of minor trouble.
• Coulsdon: Looters raided GT Shooting's gun shop in Chipstead Valley Road at 08:47.
• Greater Manchester: Both Central Manchester and Salford saw serious looting and disorder, and running battles between gangs and riot police.
• Leicester Police officers arrested 13 people following disturbances in the city centre.
• 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. Merseyside police said that 35 arrests were made.
• Nottingham: A police station and college were firebombed, and more than 90 people were arrested.
• The Thames Valley: Thames Valley Police dispersed minor scuffles in Reading, Oxford and Milton Keynes that morning.
• West Bromwich: Parts of West Bromwich town centre and several vehicles were set on fire.

Political and legal response

David Cameron chaired another emergency meeting of COBRA, mid-morning. 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.

The remains of the House of Reeves shop in Croydon

Persistent heavy rain in parts of England had an effect on numbers of rioters or wandering groups on the streets.

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. By 15:00, the police had made 113 arrests in Greater Manchester.

Thursday, 11 August

Political and legal response

Parliament was recalled from its summer recess. This day's debate included the longest question time ever.

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.

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.

Arrests

The number of people arrested in London rose to 922 since trouble began and 401 suspects had been charged. The police said they had arrested 330 people over the past four nights. One of the arrested people was an 11 year old girl from Nottingham.

Friday, 12 August

Arrests

Of more than one thousand people arrested during three days of troubles in London, about six hundred have been charged so far.

IPCC investigation

The IPCC watchdog has admitted that it inadvertently led media to believe shots were exchanged and that Mark Duggan was carrying a gun that was never used.

Saturday, 13 August

Political and legal response

Police forces around England, and especially those in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham increased their numbers on the streets. The former chief of police in New York City and Los Angeles, Bill Bratton, was announced by the PM’s office to be David Cameron’s new crime adviser.

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.

Deaths and injuries

• 26-year-old Trevor Ellis, of Brixton Hill, died following a shooting in Croydon, South London. His family has denied speculation that he had any involvement in the looting.
• On 10 August, in Winson Green, Birmingham, three men – Haroon Jahan, 21 and brothers 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.
• A 68-year-old man, Richard Mannington Bowes, died on 11 August after he was attacked while attempting to stamp out a litter-bin fire in Ealing on the evening of 8 August.
• 34 year-old Gavin Clarke was shot in Leeds, Chapeltown, on Monday and admitted to hospital with life-threatening injuries. He later died on Saturday 13 August, becoming the sixth victim killed duringthe riots.
• 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.
• 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.
• 186 police officers and five police dogs were injured.

Property damage

Vehicles, homes and shops were attacked and set alight. At least 100 homes were destroyed in the arson and looting.. Shopkeepers estimated the damages in their Tottenham Hale and Tottenham branches at several million pounds. In addition, the riots caused the irretrievable loss of heritage architecture. The Association of British Insurers have said they expect the industry to be paying out in excess of £200 million.

Transport

On 9 August the Croydon Tramlink was partly closed due to damage inflicted along its route. 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. National Express Coach stopped serving Wolverhampton and suburban stops in the Birmingham area (but not Birmingham Coach station itself) as well as Manchester (but not Manchester Airport).

Sporting fixtures

Five Football League Cup games due to be played on 9 and 10 August were postponed after a request from police due to the riots. The games at Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace and West Ham United were all postponed. There was also uncertainty on the Third Test cricket match between India national cricket team and England cricket team, at Edgbaston in Birmingham, but the match was not called off.

The international football friendly match between England and Netherlands at Wembley Stadium due to take place on 10 August was cancelled, as well as the international friendly between Ghana and Nigeria due to take place on 9 August at Vicarage Road, Watford.

Tottenham Hotspur's opening game of the 2011–12 Premier League season against Everton on 13 August was postponed. The League Two game between Cheltenham Town and Swindon Town, due to be played on the same day, was also initially postponed until further consultation allowed Gloucestershire Police to provide the required resources.

Music

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 was considered lost including the entire British stock of LPs and CDs for Domino Records, XL Records and over 100 other European independent record labels. Several album and single releases were announced to be effected or delayed by the fire. On 11 August 2011, London police reported that they had arrested three teenagers in connection with the fire.

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. The Metropolitan Police Service has assigned 450 detectives to hunt for rioters and looters. The list of photographed looters has been made available on their website.

Arrests, charges and sentences

As of 13 August, 2275 people have been arrested, of which more than 1000 have been charged.

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" and that Tottenham had had its "heart ripped out" by the riots. He said that rioters were not representative of the local community as a whole and insisted that the Independent Police Complaints Commission must fully establish the circumstances of Mark Duggan's death. Streatham’s Labour MP Chuka Umunna condemned the violence in Brixton and Tottenham. Umunna also called for the BlackBerry Messenger service, used by some of the rioters to coordinate their activities, to be "temporarily disabled" between 6 pm and 6 am BST.

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."

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. 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." 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. 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).

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." 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."

The deputy prime minister Nick Clegg later said that the riots were "completely unacceptable" and described the rioters as "needless and opportunistic".

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" whilst his deputy Kit Malthouse told a Sky News reporter that "criminal elements were to blame for the trouble."

The Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Steve Kavanagh, has stated that the amount of officers deployed tripled between 6 and 7 August. 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." Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell called the damage caused in the London Borough of Croydon "sickening".

The British National Party described the rioting as race riots and stated that they were carried out by 'predominately immigrant youths'. The English Defence League took to the streets of Eltham.

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".

Several countries issued warnings expressing caution to travellers visiting Britain during the riots.

German far-left activists suggest using the riots in England as a role model to be applied to their political activities in Germany as well.

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."

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."

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."

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."

Peter Hitchens of the Daily Mail, disputed the idea that the events were riots on the basis that they were fundamentally apolitical. He further stated: "This is an equal-opportunity crime wave. The lawbreakers are not from any distinct ethnic group, and attempts to explain this behaviour on these ground are baseless and poisonous."

The psychiatrist and writer Anthony Daniels (pen name Theodore Dalrymple) wrote an article for the New York Daily News where he blamed the "sense of entitlement" that he sees as being common among Britain's youth as a cause for the riots, and claimed that British youth are today among "the most unpleasant and violent in the world" as a result.

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. A third of respondents in a YouGov poll supported the use of 'live bullets'.

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. In Clapham Junction, dozens of volunteers carrying brooms turned out to assist with clean-up efforts. On Facebook, over 900,000 people joined a group entitled 'Supporting the Met Police against the London rioters'. Many of the looters have not bothered to cover their faces as they raided electrical shops, sports shops and off-licences. Some have even posed for pictures with their haul, posting them on social-networking sites. 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. 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.

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.

Some journalists have made comparisons between these riots and the 2005 riots in France. In both cases, the unrest started with the death of a young person during a confrontation with the police. 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."

Vigilantism

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 Muslim communities (Bangladeshi, Kurdish, Pakistani, Somali, and Turkish) chasing down masked youths in several areas of North and East London, including Green Street, Hackney, Haringey, and Tower Hamlets. On 9 August, several other communities did the same, including locals in Enfield, locals and supporters of the football club Millwall in Eltham, and the Sikh communities in Southall, East Ham, Ilford, and Romford. On Amazon, sales of baseball bats and truncheons increased significantly overnight. While such actions have been compared to vigilantism, deputy assistant commissioner Stephen Kavanagh stated: "We are already seeing a community kickback. People are angry. This is their neighbourhoods that are at stake."

Sangat TV and Sikh Channel urged their viewers to protect Sikh temples after a report that one was attacked in Birmingham. 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.

On 10 August, police clashed with a bottle-throwing crowd of about 200 vigilantes in Eltham, containing many English Defence League members. Jack England, the EDL's south-east regional organiser, claimed to be combining 50 EDL members with local vigilantes to patrol the streets. 90 EDL members joined vigilantes in Enfield. That same day, a senior police officer made a statement that some vigilante groups were hampering police operations in London.

Police

The Metropolitan Police Service launched Operation Withern, an investigation into the events leading up to and during the riots.

According to a statement by the Metropolitan Police Service, it was being led by Detective Superintendent John Sweeney of the Metropolitan Police Service, with detectives from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, specialist investigators from the Public Order Branch, and police support staff.

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."

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. The London Borough of Greenwich also stated on its website: "We shall seek the eviction of anyone living in council property if they are found to have been engaged in criminal acts."

See also

• List of people killed by law enforcement officers in the United Kingdom
• Crisis situations and protests in Europe since 2000

• Riot police assemble at Walworth Road in Elephant and Castle, Southwark, London, after rioters destroy several shops
  Riot police assemble at Walworth Road in Elephant and Castle, Southwark, London, after rioters destroy several shops
• Rioters and looters on Walworth Road crowd the entrance to a heavily damaged shop
  Rioters and looters on Walworth Road crowd the entrance to a heavily damaged shop
• 
  Rioters attempt to loot from a cycle shop in Chalk Farm, Camden
• 
  Bank workers in Walthamstow observe the destruction which was caused in the early hours of the morning
• 
  Burnt-out and vandalised car in Hackney with graffiti

External links

External images
Images of the Tottenham riot on 6 August 2011 (BBC)
Map of the Tottenham riot on 6 August 2011 (Google Maps)
Tottenham Riots: Torched houses, cars in London violence aftermath (YouTube)
Damage at Leyton Mills Currys last night (TwitPic)

Media related to 2011 riots in England at Wikimedia Commons 2011 England riots at Wikinews

• Timeline and map of violence from the BBC
• Coverage at the Daily Telegraph
• Coverage at the Guardian
  • Guardian dataset & map of verified incidents
• Coverage at the Independent