Riots in England 2011

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Photo of a night street scene with young people
Rioting youth in the London borough of Camden on the night of August 9th
The London police are pushing the rioters back.

The 2011 riots in England were a series of violent riots in the UK capital, London, and other English cities such as Liverpool , Birmingham , Manchester and Bristol that took place in August 2011.

They started out in the London borough of Tottenham . On August 6, an initially peaceful demonstration took place in front of the local police station, during which a crowd demanded clarification about the death of a resident in a police operation two days earlier. The situation escalated in the evening hours. As a result, there were arson attacks on a bus and a building, and several shops were destroyed and looted. The riots lasted well into the day and spread to other parts of London in the days that followed. Looting and vandalism occurred in the outer inner city . Political demands were never made.

prehistory

Mark Duggan is shot

On August 4, 2011, 29-year-old Mark Duggan was shot dead by a police officer during his planned arrest. The police had suspected Duggan of working for a drug ring.

The British media portray the majority of blacks as gangsters and drug dealers. According to police reports, Duggan was a major player in the Star Gang and well known to the security authorities. In the streets he was called "Starrish Mark". On Facebook, Duggan appeared in a "Star Gang" t-shirt. He was photographed in a gangster pose in several photos. A quarter of an hour before his death he had bought an illegal pistol and carried it with him; the seller was later sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment.

Investigation of the Circumstances

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), responsible for investigating allegations against the police , said that a firearm of a type not used by police officers had been found at the scene. She was sent for ballistic investigations along with a projectile that got stuck in a police officer's radio . After the first tests of this kind, however, it became apparent that this projectile probably came from a police firearm. The IPCC announced on August 7th that it needed further investigations in order to be able to reconstruct the sequence of events and asked for patience in this regard. The IPCC stated on Aug. 9 that there was "no evidence that Duggan fired at the police," and reiterated on Aug. 12 that no official report from the agency mentioned an exchange of fire, but it did It is possible that a spokesman inadvertently made misleading information to the press in the first few days.

On January 8, 2014, a judicial jury announced that the August 4, 2011, shooting of Mark Duggan was lawful. The decision was made with 8: 2 votes. Duggan was indeed unarmed, but only because he very likely threw his gun out of the taxi just before the police checkpoint. The police shooter acted in the honest belief that Duggan was armed. The police officer was thus in a self-defense situation. The judicial jury did not investigate the circumstances as part of a criminal trial. It was their job to reconstruct the police operation and assess facts. Mark Duggan's relatives do not want to accept the decision and continue to fight for justice.

Riots

Burned out vehicles in Tottenham on August 7th

Beginning in Tottenham and expanding in London

On August 6, 2011, an initially peaceful demonstration of around 200 residents took place in Tottenham, who demanded information from the police about the events that had led to Duggan's death. In the evening the situation escalated for reasons that have not yet been clarified. There were arson attacks on police vehicles, a double-decker bus and a building, as well as looting. The riots were the worst in London in 25 years . 42 people were arrested and 29 injured, mostly on the side of the police, who estimated the property damage in the millions.

The following night rioting broke out again, this time in the northern London borough of Enfield . Several hundred young people between the ages of eleven and eighteen, some of them masked, destroyed shop windows, looted shops and attacked the police by throwing stones. The riot in Enfield did not, however, match the extent of that in Tottenham the previous night. Doug Taylor, Enfield County Executive, made a connection between the two events. Riots also broke out in southern Brixton and Waltham Forest , with more than a hundred arrests and nine police officers injured.

Firefighters extinguishing a burned-out building in Tottenham

There were also riots in the districts of Hackney , Croydon and Lewisham on August 8th . Again there were arson attacks and attacks on the police. The police asked the transport organization Transport for London to block individual stations and sections of the route, the railway company Southern generally advised against traveling to south London.

Expansion outside of London

Riots in Salford

There were also riots outside London in which shops were destroyed and looted; The cities of Birmingham , Leeds , Nottingham and Bristol , among others, were affected . In Liverpool , too, there were clashes of youths, some of whom were masked, with the police, as well as looting and arson.

While it remained quiet in London on the night of August 10, Manchester , Wolverhampton and West Bromwich were also affected by outbreaks of violence; again also Birmingham and Nottingham. A fashion house was set on fire in Manchester, several shops in the city center were destroyed and the largest shopping center in the city was broken into. In Nottingham, a school and a vehicle were set on fire in front of a police station, and in Birmingham there were attacks on fire brigades.

Victims and property damage

On August 9, a 26-year-old man who had been shot by looters during the riots in Croydon, London, died the previous day.

Three other men died in Birmingham on the night of August 10th. You were active in a vigilante group to protect businesses and residents from rioters and were hit by a car during the nightly rioting. Police were investigating murder and arrested three suspects the following day.

In the London suburb of Ealing , a 68-year-old man suffered life-threatening head injuries that same night when he tried to put out a fire lit by young people and was then attacked by them. He died on the night of August 12th. A 16-year-old was sentenced to eight years in prison for manslaughter and his mother was sentenced to aiding and abetting.

The damage to property was estimated a few days after the riot broke out at between £ 10 million and several tens of millions of pounds sterling . Prime Minister Cameron even brought up the figure of £ 200 million. Destroyed businesses would also have to be given up in individual cases. According to a 125 year old British law, there could be claims for damages against the police for their inability to maintain public safety and order. At least 26 families were left homeless after their homes burned out.

backgrounds

Tottenham, the place where the riot broke out, is a well-known social hotspot in north London: the area is one of the poorest in Great Britain.

There had already been riots in Tottenham in 1985 after the death of a 49-year-old woman whose home was stormed by the police. This was followed by a demonstration that got out of hand and resulted in the murder of a police officer. Three men convicted of murder in 1987 had to be released four years later because the police had manipulated interrogation notes. Later, the state invested in the quality of living, maintenance and security of the neighborhood, which led to a reduction in violent crime. As a result, the police were no longer prepared for an escalation in 2011.

Social science assessments

According to the social scientist Mike Hardy , director of the London Institute of Community Cohesion , the riots are "not primarily about race, religion or class" but "simply about all those who feel excluded from society" . The sociologist Paul Bagguley from the University of Leeds named “biographical availability” as one reason: people without a job spend more time on the streets, while for a consumer-driven generation, advertising creates a powerful motivation. The drastic austerity policies of Prime Minister David Cameron's administration are exacerbating the situation. By 2015, spending is to be cut by 91 billion euros, particularly in the social sector. The criminologist John Pitts from the University of Bedfordshire told the Guardian that the looting was often done out of opportunism , but the social situation of the young people, who have no social prospects and “nothing to lose”, played a central role. Most of the participants have in common a low income and unemployment as well as little or no prospect of a law-abiding future.

Humanities assessments

In the humanities, especially in leftist currents within continental philosophy , the events in England were controversial. Based on a theory of the event according to Alain Badiou , but also on the essay "On the Critique of Violence" by Walter Benjamin , attempts were made to strengthen a view that opposed the mass media. Evan Calder Williams argued, for example, that the fact that the often-voiced criticism that the riots had no political background, since no demands were made at any point in time, missed the core of the unrest. He strengthened the view that the riots were very politically motivated in the sense that they brought to light the economic imbalances that prevail in England. Slavoj Žižek argued in a similar way, but with a different result: following his monograph on violence, published in 2008, he argued that the unrest was an expression of the failure of a consumer ideology that made consumption a goal of society, but at the same time shared it denies society the opportunity to consume. The problem of violence is therefore not violence itself, but the fact that it affects the ruling system by being used to fulfill its premises. In this context he criticized the violence as "envy masked as a triumphant carnival".

Role of new media

The police suspected that the perpetrators had arranged to meet the riots using the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). The Canadian manufacturer Research In Motion agreed to help with the investigation and was the victim of a cyber attack for this reason. In contrast to short message services such as Twitter , BBM works with encryption software , which makes it difficult to read the messages. However, Twitter and Facebook would be used as further multipliers. In view of the widening riots and the collusion over modern communication technology, the British police spoke of "organized crime". Clean-up teams and vigilante groups as well as initiatives to identify the perpetrators via social networks were also organized.

Reactions

British Prime Minister David Cameron called the rioting "totally unacceptable" and later "pure crime". On August 8, he broke off his summer vacation in Italy and flew to London to attend a short-term meeting of the National Security Council. He announced that on the night of August 10th, the police force in London would be massively increased from 6,000 to 16,000 and threatened the partly juvenile perpetrators with severe punishment. He called a special session of parliament for August 11th. Home Secretary Theresa May broke off her vacation the same day and flew back to London to discuss how to proceed with London Police Chief Tim Godwin and other security chiefs. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and London Mayor Boris Johnson also returned from vacation. One of Johnson's spokesmen had previously warned that the rioting could "not facilitate" the investigation by the IPCC Police Inspectorate.

Ken Livingstone , the former mayor of London, called for the use of water cannons - a form of police armament not common in England - against the perpetrators. David Cameron joined him on August 10 and announced that the police would be arming themselves with rubber bullets . Water cannons, of which only six exist in the UK, are exclusively based in Northern Ireland and require parliamentary approval, could be operational within 24 hours. UKIP chairman Nigel Farage advocated the use of the military inside.

Security aspects of the Olympic Summer Games in London planned for 2012 came under discussion. A friendly game between the English and the Dutch national football team at London's Wembley Stadium , scheduled for August 10, was canceled by the English Football Association for security reasons in order to relieve the police. National soccer games with London participation, as well as a friendly match between the national soccer teams of Ghana and Nigeria, had already been canceled or postponed beforehand. The Premier League opening game scheduled for August 13 in Tottenham has also been postponed.

More than 2,100 allegedly involved in the rioting were arrested. Cameron sought help from former New York Police Chief Bill Bratton while the Metropolitan Police Federation criticized cuts in the UK police force. On the Internet as well as in British cities, there was a search for alleged perpetrators on public canvases with photos. Administrations in British communities, including London's Wandsworth , Manchester and neighboring Salford , began, with the support of Prime Minister Cameron, to terminate publicly subsidized social housing belonging to those involved in the rioting. As of August 2012, 1,292 defendants had been sentenced to terms of imprisonment totaling over 1,800 years.

Many people feared violence in public spaces through so-called Chavs (German for " Prolls ") and self-defense courses were booming.

After a police officer killed George Floyd in Minneapolis, USA on May 25, 2020 , protests broke out in many countries, including the UK . Police victims like Mark Duggan were also remembered.

literature

  • When the dead awaken - The Riots in England 2011 , Laika Verlag , Hamburg 2012.
  • Alain Badiou: La réveil de l'histoire , Nouvelles Editiones Lignes, Paris 2011; Engl. By Gregory Elliot: The Rebirth of History , Verso , London 2012.
  • Moritz Altenried: Uprisings, Racism and the Crisis of Capitalism - England in a State of Emergency, Edition Assemblage, Münster 2012.

Web links

Commons : Unrest in England 2011  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
 Wikinews: Unrest in Great Britain: Situation escalates  - news

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Clashes with the police: London experiences second night of riot. Spiegel Online , August 8, 2011, accessed August 11, 2011 .
  2. ↑ London Riots - His death started the riots. Tageblatt , August 9, 2011, accessed on August 11, 2011 .
  3. ^ Mark Duggan death: Gun supplier jailed for 11 years
  4. ↑ Sandra Laville: Man shot dead by police in north London during attempted arrest. guardian.co.uk, August 5, 2011.
  5. ^ The Guardian on August 9, 2011: Doubts emerge over Duggan shooting as London burns. Retrieved August 9, 2011 .
  6. ↑ Mark Duggan did not shoot at police, says IPCC. The Guardian , August 9, 2011, accessed August 10, 2011 .
  7. ^ Mark Duggan death: IPCC says it inadvertently misled media. The Guardian , August 12, 2011, accessed August 13, 2011 .
  8. ↑ Investigation of the London riots: Police killers exonerated - angry protests. Der Spiegel , January 18, 2014, accessed on January 9, 2014 .
  9. ↑ The Guardian : Tottenham riots: a peaceful protest, then suddenly all hell broke loose , August 7, 2011
  10. ↑ a b Spiegel: Riots in London. Tottenham Burns , accessed August 7, 2011
  11. ↑ 42 Arrests after riots in London
  12. ^ The Telegraph on August 8, 2011: Capital sees second night of clashes. Retrieved August 8, 2011 .
  13. ↑ London24 on August 7, 2011: Tottenham riots: Mob violence hits Enfield - police charge looters. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015 ; Retrieved August 8, 2011 .
  14. ↑ BBC News London, August 7, 2011: London riots: Met Police launch major investigation. Retrieved August 8, 2011 .
  15. ↑ NZZ Online on August 8, 2011: “Trittbrett” riots in other parts of London. Retrieved August 8, 2011 .
  16. ↑ a b Riots in Great Britain spread to other cities. Deutsche Welle , August 9, 2011, archived from the original on October 5, 2011 ; Retrieved April 14, 2016 .
  17. ↑ a b Süddeutsche Zeitung online on August 8, 2011: Riots go into the third night. Retrieved August 8, 2011 .
  18. ↑ BBC News on August 9: Further riots in London as violence spreads across England. Retrieved August 9, 2011 .
  19. ^ London riots spread to Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol. The Guardian, August 9, 2011, accessed October 8, 2012 .
  20. ↑ NZZ online on August 10, 2011: violence spreads to Manchester. In the UK, the riots continue in several cities. Retrieved August 10, 2011 .
  21. ↑ FAZ.net on August 9, 2011: First death in riots in London. Retrieved March 2, 2015 .
  22. ↑ Murdered father's family pleads for justice over forgotten victim of Croydon riots
  23. ↑ Martin Wainwright: UK riots: Birmingham murder inquiry after car kills three British Asian men. guardian.co.uk, August 10, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011
  24. ↑ a b Stern.de on August 11, 2011: Riots in England: Police arrest three murder suspects. Retrieved August 11, 2011 .
  25. ↑ Ben Quinn: Man critically ill after being attacked during Ealing riots. guardian.co.uk, August 10, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011
  26. ↑ The Independent: Darrell Desuze sentenced for killing pensioner Richard Manningtonbowes during riots. Retrieved September 4, 2013 .
  27. ^ Swiss radio and television DRS on August 9, 2011: Millions in damage and solidarity in London. Retrieved August 10, 2011 .
  28. ↑ fabeau Fashion Business News on August 9, 2011: London riots cost millions ... Archived from the original on October 14, 2011 ; Retrieved August 10, 2011 .
  29. ^ Salzburger Nachrichten on August 9, 2011: Police are fighting against rule by the mob. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved August 10, 2011 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.salzburg.com  
  30. ^ Spiegel: Serious riots in London. "It was like a war" , accessed August 7, 2011
  31. ^ Ralf Sotscheck : The Tottenham riots of 1985: Exemplary change. taz.de, August 7, 2011, accessed on August 9, 2011 .
  32. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung : Lack of perspective and adrenaline-driven euphoria , August 9, 2011
  33. ↑ The Guardian : Looting 'fueled by social exclusion , August 8, 2011
  34. ↑ z. B. Alain Badiou: The Rebirth of History , Verso, London 2012.
  35. ↑ Evan Calder Williams: An open letter to all who condemn the looting in: When the dead awaken - The riots in England 2011, Laika-Verlag, Hamburg 2012, p. 65 ff.
  36. ↑ Slavoj Zizek: Violence - six remote reflections , Laika Verlag, Hamburg 2011.
  37. ↑ Slavoj Zizek: "Shoplifters of all countries Unite!" in: ders. and Srećko Horvat : What does Europe want? - Save us from the rescuers! Laika Verlag, Hamburg 2013, p. 71 ff.
  38. ↑ RP online on August 9, 2011: BlackBerry manufacturer RIM hacked. Retrieved August 9, 2011 .
  39. ^ The Guardian on August 8, 2011: London riots: BlackBerry to help police probe Messenger looting 'role'. Retrieved August 9, 2011 .
  40. ^ Spiegel Online on August 8, 2011: Rioters devastate London districts. Retrieved August 9, 2011 .
  41. ^ Spiegel Online on August 9, 2011: Riots in London - Blackberry manufacturer wants to help the police. Retrieved August 9, 2011 .
  42. ^ Unrest in the real-time network , Süddeutsche.de, August 10, 2011
  43. ↑ Financial Times Deutschland on August 8, 2011: Cameron breaks off vacation due to riots in London. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012 ; Retrieved August 8, 2011 .
  44. ↑ FAZ.net: Police are massively increased. August 9, 2011, accessed March 2, 2015 .
  45. ↑ Focus online August 9, 2011: Cameron calls a special session on the London riots. Retrieved August 9, 2011 .
  46. ↑ Berliner Umschau on August 9, 2011: Riots in England: Prime Minister Cameron interrupts his vacation - more and more cities are captured. Retrieved August 9, 2011 .
  47. ^ The Telegraph on August 8, 2011: London riots: Theresa May flies back from holiday. Retrieved August 8, 2011 .
  48. ↑ www.zeit.de: Violent Protests in London , accessed on August 7, 2011
  49. ↑ 20min online on August 9, 2011: London doesn't believe in water cannons. Retrieved August 9, 2011 .
  50. ↑ Reuters Germany on August 10, 2011: Cameron is arming the police after riots in England. Retrieved August 10, 2011 .
  51. ^ Spiegel Online on August 10, 2011: Cameron threatens rioters with a tough counter-attack. Retrieved August 10, 2011 .
  52. ^ British Forces News on August 9, 2011: UKIP leader wants Army on the streets. Retrieved August 9, 2011 .
  53. ↑ a b FAZ.net on August 10, 2011: international match at Wembley canceled. Retrieved March 2, 2015 .
  54. ↑ Time online on August 10, 2011: High costs due to the canceled international match. Retrieved August 10, 2011 .
  55. ^ Welt Online on August 10, 2011: Olympia 2012 in London not endangered. International soccer match between England and Holland canceled. Retrieved August 10, 2011 .
  56. ^ Spiegel Online on August 9, 2011: England cancels international match due to riots. Retrieved August 9, 2011 .
  57. ↑ BBC Sport on August 9, 2011: Ghana versus Nigeria friendly in Watford called off (English). Retrieved August 10, 2011 .
  58. ^ Badische Zeitung on August 12, 2011: Game cancellation in England. Premier League reacts to the excesses of violence. Retrieved August 11, 2011 .
  59. ↑ Lord of the Gangs to pacify the island Spiegel Online from August 13, 2011
  60. ↑ NZZ Online on August 13, 2011: Cameron wants to withdraw government aid from rioters. Retrieved August 13, 2011 .
  61. ↑ ORF.at on August 13, 2011: Support from the “Supercop”. Retrieved August 13, 2011 .
  62. ↑ Wandsworth Council website on August 13, 2011. Accessed August 13, 2011 .
  63. ↑ London rioters given jail terms total ling 1,800 years
  64. ↑ Raphael Geiger: How an Englishman teaches his customers to defend themselves against rioters on the street , Der Spiegel. November 7, 2011.  Retrieved November 22, 2011
  65. ↑ George Floyd death: Why US protests resonate in the UK
  66. ^ In Britain, protests over the death of George Floyd revive memories of others killed by police
  67. ↑ Activists around the world use protests to highlight their own countries' police killings
  68. ↑ spiegel.de June 13, 2020: Was it self-defense - or murder? (Quote: "Now research shows: It was probably not an accident.")