http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnWsQFPM4A0
The Riots of August 2011
LO: To investigate reasons for anti- social behaviour and conflict
during August 2011
Discussion question
What are your
thoughts and
feelings regarding
the riots and
disorder over the
summer?
Statistics from BBC
news on August
12th 2011
Time line
Thursday August 4th
18:15 BST - Mark Duggan, 29, is shot dead by police at Ferry Lane, Tottenham.
The death occurs during an operation where specialist firearm officers and officers from Operation Trident,
are attempting to carry out an arrest.
Mr Duggan is a passenger in a minicab and is shot after an apparent exchange of fire.
A police officer's radio is later found to have a bullet lodged in it.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) announces it will investigate the incident and
later says it believes two shots were fired by police.
It also confirms that an illegal firearm was recovered from the scene.
Saturday August 6th
5pm – around 300 people gate outside Tottenham police station demanding justice for
Mr Duggan and his family. Protest is peaceful, roads are closed due to numbers.
10pm - -The violence begins as bottles are thrown at two patrol cars close to the police station. One of the vehicles is
set alight, while the other is pushed into the middle of the road before also being torched.
Unconfirmed reports say the incident was sparked off by a confrontation between a teenage protester and
a police officer.
Riot officers from the Territorial Support Group and police on horseback are deployed to disperse the crowds
but come under attack from bottles, fireworks and other missiles.
20:45 - The London Fire Brigade receives its first calls to attend and by 04:30 BST the following morning has dealt
with 49 "primary" fires in the Tottenham area and received more than 250 emergency calls from the public.
22:45 - As the violence continues, a double-decker bus is burnt out and more petrol bombs are thrown at police and
buildings. Shops set alight in the area include an Aldi supermarket and a carpet shop.
Looting is reported throughout the night and some thieves take the opportunity to load up car boots and shopping
trolleys with stolen goods. Vision Express, Boots, Argos and JD Sports are among the shops affected.
Sunday August 7th
12:00 noon - Fire crews have all the fires under control but are still damping down
some burnt-out buildings.
18:28 - Police are called to High Street Enfield after reports shop windows are being smashed. A police vehicle
is damaged.
18:30 - Three police officers are injured after intervening in an altercation in Brixton, south London.
Missiles are thrown.
19:45 - Around 100 hooded youths gather outside Enfield Police Station.
21:30 -The Guardian newspaper quotes a source as saying a bullet found in a police radio after Mr Duggan's
death was police issue
22:00 - More reports of shop windows being smashed in Enfield. Riot police and mounted police patrol the
streets
22:30 - Reports on Twitter of a police presence at Oxford Circus in London's West End. Police later say a
mob of around 50 people damaged property in the area
Monday August 8th
00:45 - Six fire engines and 30 firefighters are despatched to a blaze at a Foot Locker store on Brixton Road.
Police say gangs of youths are continuing to attack officers and shops are being targeted in Waltham Forest.
17:19 - Skirmishes break out between police and groups of young people in Hackney
18:42 - TFL says a bus has been set on fire in Peckham, south-east London.
18:45 - Video footage from Lewisham, south London, shows a fire burning in a street where at least one
vehicle has been set ablaze
20:07 - West Midlands Police say some shop windows have been smashed in various locations, with property stolen.
20:58 - Aerial footage is now showing several fires burning in Croydon, south London
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14436499
21:50 - A BBC correspondent reports seeing a fire burning in Clapham High Street
23:05 - Phone shops are being looted in Woolwich High Street, several hundred youths involved, there is also a
burnt-out police car.
23:27 - Rioting is taking place in Ealing, west London, where the windows of a Tesco supermarket have been put out,
a car is on fire and rubbish is strewn in public areas. There is also a fire in Haven Green park.
23:30 - About 40 vehicles were damaged in a night of violence in Nottingham described by one
senior officer as "motivated" by the London riots.
Croydon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXVqSS2T4H4
Tuesday August 9th
00:45 - West Midlands Police confirm that a police station in, Birmingham, is on fire.
00:59 - Merseyside Police confirm they are dealing with a number of incidents in South Liverpool, including cars being set
alight.
01:05 - BBC staff member reports hundreds of youths ransacking a Panasonic store in West Ealing.
01:21- Hackney: 250-300 people gathered in Pembury Estate, setting alight cars and throwing petrol bombs. Businesses
looted http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITJcparImeQ
Newham: Looting in Stratford High Street. Lewisham: Roaming groups of youths were involved in disorder.
Bethnal Green: More than 100 people looted a Tesco supermarket. Two officers were injured.
Croydon: Fires burning at a number of premises, including a very large blaze at a sofa factory
03:06 - Major blazes in the capital: 1. Timber yard fire East Ham.
2. Shopping centre and offices of four floors fire on Woolwich New Road. Whole of the ground floor is alight.
3. fire on Lavender Hill now has eight fire engines and 40 firefighters at the scene. Most of the ground floor and
part of first floor alight.
4. 40 firefighters at a fire in a warehouse on Solar Way in Enfield
17:29 - The Independent Police Complaints commission says ballistic test results show no evidence that a hangun found at
the scene of the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan had been fired.
17:46 - Reports of rocks and stones being hurled at police vans by gangs of youths in Salford, Manchester.
19:28 - Manchester police appeal for calm following a number of attacks by rioters on shops in Manchester and Salford.
also reports of trouble in Birmingham and West Bromwich where there have been confrontations between police and
gangs of youths.
22:36 - A police station in Nottingham is firebombed by a group of rioters. In the Bootle area of Merseyside a man is
arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft after allegedly using a dumper truck to break into a Post Office.
Wednesday August 10th
•685 arrests made in London, many more across the country.
•PM Cameron makes a statement about the riots after cutting short is holiday yesterday.
• Parliament recalled.
•Twitter and Facebook used to organise mass ‘looting cleanups’
Thursday August 11th
Football games postponed amid fears of further unrest.
11:30 BST - Prime Minister David Cameron makes a statement to MPs in which he admits
there are questions to be answered over the shooting of Mark Duggan in Tottenham.
He calls the rioting "criminality, pure and simple" and says the courts will continue sitting
for as long as necessary to deal with the extra cases. He says police will be given powers
to force people to remove masks and scarves covering their faces where there are
reasonable grounds to believe they are planning criminal activity. Mr Cameron also
announces a £10m recovery scheme to make areas safe and clean again
Metropolitan Police now say 1,009 people have been arrested in connection with the
riots - and 464 have been charged so far
Woolwich
Pc Gordon Murphy, 30, and five other officers had just two shields to
protect them against a mob who were trying to loot the stores, in
Catford, south-east London, on Monday night.
The officer, based at Catford Police Station, said that he and his
colleagues charged at the mob - despite them being so few in their
number - in a bid to scare them off.
The father-of-one, who is also a local resident, said the gang of 40 to 50
youths waited until dark to start their assault.
He said: ''We were able to create a small barrier at the end of the retail
park.
''As darkness fell, the young people started attacking - they were
throwing bricks and bottles at us.
''There were two of us with small shields to protect other police officers
and the property.
''Once they had thrown missiles at us they then rushed directly towards
us, shouting and screaming.
''Their intention was to run at us mob-handed to frighten us to run
away. Don't get me wrong, it did cross our minds, but I am a local police
officer, I work in the Safer Neighbourhood Team. When you police the
local area, you get to know people, you do get quite protective of your
area and have a pride in it.
''You want people to be safe, you want businesses to be safe, so we just
thought: 'We are not having any of this'.
''We decided, as they ran at us, to rush back at them, with only six
officers running back at 40. The mad thing is, they all ran back so we
didn't even have to make contact with them.
''We just showed a show of strength, with our shields and our batons
drawn, shouting as loud as we could: 'get back' and a few other war
cries and the kids ran back across the road and continued throwing
things at us.'‘
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8694190/London-riots-amazing-story-of-how-police-officer-fended-offgang-of-50-hoodies.html
Catford
Lewisham
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC5RQ5YbCXs
Peckham
Notes of support from the local community
Group work
Why did people riot?
What should the police
be able to do regarding
anti-social behaviour?
What was the impact
on the communities
and society?
What was the impact
for your group
members personally?
(if any)
What should the
government be doing
regarding the situation, (or
what should they have done
at the time)?
Individual Work
Following all discussions , pictures
and clips this lesson you need
to write a page explaining how
the anti-social behaviour
occurred and escalated.
A*/ A grade extension
Explain how the police and
government could tackle the
behaviour.
Terms / phrases that should be
used:
• Discrimination
• Powerlessness/ alienation
• Recession
• Lack of money
• Media exaggeration
• Media influence
• Social media
• Copycat behaviour
• Gangs
• Peer group pressure
• Attention seeking.
Plenary
Sharing work, read and
review each others work
and discuss opinions.