Understanding the 2011 England Riots

This assignment requires students to delve into the complex reasons behind the 2011 England Riots. Utilizing a variety of academic resources, including journal articles, books, and online materials, students are tasked with analyzing the multifaceted causes of these disturbances. The focus should encompass social, political, and economic factors that contributed to the riots, as well as their lasting impact on British society.

Essay on :
To what extent is a riot a political act?
Discuss with reference to outbreaks of
disorder in England and Wales since the
1960s.
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................4
Various problems of youth offending..............................................................................................4
Outbreaks of disorder in England and Wales since the 1960...........................................................5
To what extent is a riot a political act? ...........................................................................................6
Strategies for addressing problems:.................................................................................................8
Conclusion............................................................................................................................................9
References..........................................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
Youth offending team is a multi agency team which coordinates with local authorities. The
main role of this team is to handle young offenders, set ups community services, reparation of plans
and to prevent youth recidivism and incarceration. This team follows Crime and Disorder Act 1998
for minimizing the risk of offending and re-offending by youth. On the other hand, young offenders
are refers as those youths who has convicted for criminal offence (Jackson and et.al., 2012).
The proposed study is based on the outbreaks of disorder in England and Wales since 1960's.
It includes various problems of youth offending, official and critical interpretations, strategies for
addressing problems. Along with this, report consists of difference between different problems and
awareness of them among the youth.
Various problems of youth offending
Riots
Riots refer as a violent disturbance of peace by some people. It is a type of civil disoder
which is generally characterised by groups in violent manner against some authorities, properties,
people, activities, etc. The targets include in riots are shops, cars, restaurants, state owned
institutions and religious buildings (Davies, 2016).
In the past, riots occurred due to poor working conditions, taxations, disputes between ethnic
groups, religious people, results of sport events, governmental oppressions, etc. It includes
disorganised groups who have chaotic and exhibit herd behaviour. Some people suggest that riots
are not irrational, these occurred due to inverted social norms. In present era, the understanding of
the rioters have improved and they create riots after proper knowing the situations. Along with this,
they have proper knowledge of the tactics used by police in conditions of riots. On the other hand,
there are various documents and manuals are available on internet which helps young people in
successful functioning of riots. With the help of these manuals, youth like to involve press, different
media for safety and attention (FitzGerald and Hale, 2013).
Types of riots
There are different types of riots which are explained below: Prison riots: It is a kind of riot caused by the prisoners against the prison administrators,
officers, rules and regulations, other groups of prisoners, etc. This riot is generally done to
express grievance and force change (Stevenson, 2014). Race Riot: The focus of rioters in this form of riot is on the race and ethnicity. The mob
action is taken by the people having majority of racial groups against the individuals of
perceived races or ethnicity.
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 Religious Riots: The main reason behind such riots is religion and related activities. Target
people riots against some activities related to their religion. Student Riots: These are caused by the students of college, higher education or university.
They did riot due to oppression of peaceful demonstration, sport events or for expressing
grievances with respect to political or social activities. These include different crimes such
as status offenses, property crime and violent crime (Berman and Dar, 2013). Urban Riots: These are caused due to urban decay, poverty, lack of employment, poor
education and healthcare, inadequate housing facilities, police brutality, etc. This kind of
riots are generally connected with the race and police riots. Sports Riots: Fans of failure team fights with the individuals of winning team. Another
reason is team contending for championship, long series of matches, etc. In US, sports are
main cause of riots (Panayi, 2014).
 Food and bread riots: Such form of riots are caused by the farmers due to harvest failures,
hoarding, attacks by pests, incompetent food storage, etc. Along with this, public also create
this riot due to food problems and in response they attack on shops, farms, homes, etc.
Outbreaks of disorder in England and Wales since the 1960
Riot of 1980:
It was occurred due to societal racism, discrimination and poverty. The perceptions of
powerlessness and oppressive policing results to create a series of riots among the African-
Caribbean people. It took place in St Pauls in 1980. Brixton, Toxteth and Moss side in 1981. These
areas had wide ethnic minority communities and they were suffering from poor housing, lack of
employment and racial tension. These people were come from the Commonwealth in-between
1950-1960 for doing low paid jobs (Bell, Jaitman and Machin, 2014). It was a sudden outburst
caused due to some particular incidents. Somewhere government was the cause of these continuous
series of riots. In 1979, government gave new powers to the police which were applied
inappropriately on the black people. So the riot was caused by a distrust of the police and higher
authorities. The rioters including young black men fought with the police, attached buildings and set
fire to cars, buses, etc. Approximate 300 people were injured during the riot of Brixton. Due to the
race discrimination by the police and other people of Britain, first riot began in Brixton which was
followed in 12 cities and towns including Liverpool (Newburn, 2015).
Riots of 2001:
There were three kinds of riots Bradford, Harehills and Oldham. In this, Bradford riot was
short but intense. The major reason behind this riot was increasing population of British South
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Asian communities among the city's white majority people. There were approximate 1,000 white
youth in this who attacked police and Asian owned businesses (H a re h i l l s r i o t m o b w a r n e d
t h e y f a c e j a i l , 2 0 0 2 ). On the other hand, Harehills riot occurred due to the wrongful arrest of
an Asian man by the Police. In this, approximate 100 Asian, white and black young people were
involved. In the end, the police arrested enough quantity of individuals involved in the riot and gain
the control over them. During the riot, over 26 cars were burnt, public was pelted with bricks, police
officers got injured, etc (Kundnani, 2001). Similarly, the Oldham riot was the worst ethically
motivated riot which was caused due to the ethnic conflicts between the local and South Asian
Muslim communities. Asian people of Pakistan, Bangladesh and India attacked on the white people
due to race discrimination. Petrol bombs, bricks, bottles and other things were used by the Asian
youth against the riot police (ALLISON, 2001).
Riot of 2011:
This riot was caused due to the death of Mark Duggan, a local man who was shot dead by
the police. The methods used by the rioters were looting, arson, mugging, assault, murders, etc. This
riot had political reasons behind it. During the rioting, rioters used social media by posting their
pictures with stolen goods. On the other hand, CCTV cameras were used by the police for
monitoring the crime and identifying the looters. Along with this, police force used Flickr for
searching the galleries of looters, Facebook pages were also created by them. Rioters used
BlackBerry Messenger for organising their activities regarding riots. With respect to this riot, many
countries issued warning for travellers visiting UK, The Sun called the riot shameful. On the other
hand government said that the rioters were not of particular religion or ethnicity. The contributory
factors of this riot were poor relations with the police, social exclusion, family breakdown,
government cuts, unemployment, poverty, gang culture, moral decay, criminal opportunism, media
relationship with the communities (Younge, 2011).
To what extent is a riot a political act?
Riots of 1980:
According to the FitzGerald and Hale, 2013, “Riot is a civil disorder which can be caused by
any group of people against authority, property, activity, ethnicity, etc” (FitzGerald and Hale, 2013).
The Brixton riot was occurred due to the racial tension, social and economic problems which
affected the inner cities of England. On the other hand Berman and Dar, 2013, have stated that
“Riots are the acts done by those people who are facing problems from a long time” (Berman and
Dar, 2013). With respect to this, the reason behind the riot of 2001 was a long term cause which
made Bradford individuals to do unethical and violent activities. Along with it Newburn, 2015, has
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identified that “The riot of Brixton occurred when a police stopped young black man who had been
stabbed. Similarly, a student was arrested by the police in Toxteth, Liverpool. These actions made
youth of black community to do riots” (Newburn, 2015). In favour to this, the riot of 1981 was
occurred due to the political reasons. The Conservative Party gave new powers to the police which
created distrust regarding them among the black people. Along with this Kinealy, 2013, has said that
“Another reason of Brixton riot was unemployment, housing problem, poverty, inner city
deprivation and social alienation. All these were due to recession and spending cuts which were
affecting the minor community people” (Kinealy, 2013). In favour to this, the riot was an essential
outburst of anger and resentment by the black youth against the activities of police.
Riots of 2011:
With respect to the England 2011 riot Christopher, 2015, has asserted that “Riots have worse
results which effects the country economically, politically and socially. It also harms public and
their different assets” (Christopher, 2015). In reference to this, riot of 2011 impacts negatively on
the economy and social life of the England. Large number of people were get injured in that riot and
many died. On the other hand Stevenson, 2014, has stated that “Social media was widely used in the
August riot 2011 of England. Rioters use Blackberry Messenger for organising their different
activities” (Stevenson, 2014). In favour to this, 2011 riot was not political act, it was done by the
young people due to many reasons such as unemployment and poverty.
In contrast to it Younge, 2011, has argued that “The 2011 riot was a political demonstration
which ended in a very wrong manner of violent disorder. The rioters were looting the shops not
lifting them, they were challenging police for control by stealing goods not their hubcaps” (Younge,
G., 2011). With reference to this, the police of the England was doing nothing to control the rioters
and their activities which resulted to cause various harms and injuries to the public and other things.
Similarly, FitzGerald and Hale, 2013, have declared that “The young people of the UK were facing
unemployment as in 2011 unemployment rate was 43%. It means that oil was already on the streets,
all it need was a small spark” (FitzGerald and Hale, 2013). With references to this, the death of
Mark Duggan worked as a spark for the youth and made them to use illegal means for showing their
anger and aggression.
Riot of 2001:
Bradford Riot:
As per the view of Bell, Jaitman and Machin, 2014, “Riots represents that something really
wrong is going with the society. People are smashing their own communities, destroying their own
homes and damaging their own country ” (Bell, Jaitman and Machin, 2014). In favour to this, in riot
of 2001 people used bricks, bottles, bombs, etc for damaging vehicles, buildings and police. Along
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with this Berman and Dar, A., 2013, have stated that “The racial violence occurred on the streets of
Bradford is one of the worst rioting act in England ” (Berman and Dar, A., 2013). On the other hand
Jackson and et.al., 2012, have concluded that “At the height of the riot, police in Bradford were
attacked with the petrol bombs, road signs, bottles by the Asian youth. The windows of the city
centre pubs were also smashed by them” (Jackson and et.al., 2012). In context to it, group of 1000
youth fought against the police and white community people due to the racial discrimination. This
act was not a political act, it was done by the Asian people due to the racial tensions.
Harehills Riot:
With respect to the political act Pickard, 2014, has asserted that “Harehills riot in 2011 was a
political act because police arrest wrong person over a suspicious tax disc. It was not a racist attack,
it was due to the police improper actions” (Pickard, 2014). In context to it, the victim was arrested
and kicked by the police and then they sprayed CS gas at him in front of Asian community groups.
This inappropriate actions of the police made Asian people to cause riots. On the other hand Panayi,
2014, has stated that “The riot of Harehills was not a political act as it was a mistake not a planning.
The Police Complaints Authority left the person and expressed regret doe the stress caused to his
family members” (Panayi, 2014). In favour to this, Hossein Miah was arrested by the police who
declared that officer pulled him from his vehicle causing him injury. The higher authorities of the
police department expressed regret for any kind of injury to Miah.
Oldham Riot:
According to the Christopher, 2015, “Oldham was a thriving town but industrial revolution
made it impoverished town having people of non transferable skills. The Pakistani, Bangladeshi and
other Asian communities were facing problem of poor education and economic development”
(Christopher, 2015). On the other hand Davies, 2016, has said that “ The reason behind the Oldham
riots were deep rooted segregations which government had failed to address. These problems were
of poverty, lack of opportunities, poor education and inadequate housing facilities” (Davies, 2016).
With respect to this, the cause of riot was long term not short term. With respect to the mid term
causes Stevenson, 2014, has asserted that “One of the main reason was religious and ethnicity
discrimination by the white persons. The bad and regressive motives of the white extremists made
Asians to create riots for showing their anger” (Stevenson, 2014). On the other hand Kinealy, 2013,
has argued that “Political party, National Front and British National Party were somewhere
responsible for the riots as they created many expectations among the Oldham people but did not
fulfil them” (Kinealy, 2013). From these statements, it is clear that Oldham riot was a cause of long
term problems including political actions.
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Strategies for addressing problems:
Riots work as natural disaster such as earthquakes, floods, etc for the businesses and
economy of the nation. Coordinating loss control strategies with response and recovery plan can
work effectively for the organisations. Companies need to plan appropriately for the loss control
and for this, risk managers should identify the degree to which riots can damage their business. It is
clear that any type of conflict can affect the functioning of the enterprise negatively. The top priority
of the organisations is to protect themselves from arson and looting. For preventing the products
companies can install In-rack sprinklers and Fast response sprinklers (Business can reduce riot
risks, 2016).
Along with this, fire resistant materials need to be used by the builders while constructing
any building. They can use steel more as compare to the wood for preventing building from the
attack of rioters. In addition, aesthetic walls, fencing, garden, etc can be used by the people for
restricting the vehicle access. On the other hand, people should secure their other openings or
entrance ways by closing them tightly (Christopher, 2015).
Government can conduct campaigns for people to understanding them different methods of
handling riots and its activities. With the help of different programmes, government can increase the
awareness among the public so that they can properly handle and manage themselves during riots.
In addition, there should be strict laws and policies for the riots, so that youth think before acting
such things. Proper training should be given to the police officers for handling the crowd properly
and for reducing the damages. They can use different devices or gases for controlling the crowd and
their illegal activities (Kinealy, 2013).
With respect to the ethical or religious issues, young persons are required to educate
properly. This will make them to think differently instead of creating riots on the streets. Effective
education and proper development opportunities help in reducing the poverty and related problems.
This will help in minimizing the rate of unemployment which will lead to reduce anger and
aggression of the youth. Government can give more opportunities for the minor and underdeveloped
communities for their fulfilling their basic needs. In contrast to it, political parties should not use
riots for their personal advantages. They should have knowledge that it will affect the economic and
social conditions of the country (Kundnani, 2001).
CONCLUSION
From the above study, it is concluded that riots can be political act and can not be. It depends
upon the situation and conditions arising during that time. Some researchers take civil disorder as a
political action whereas some consider it as anger of the public against some activities or
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authorities. England has faced different riots since 1960 such as Oldham riot, Harehills riot, 2011
riot, etc. The main reasons behind these riots were unemployment and lack of development
opportunities which made youth to do such illegal activities. There are some strategies with the help
of which government can reduce the riot activities. Along with this, companies and people can take
effect actions for preventing themselves from different riots.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bell, B., Jaitman, L. and Machin, S., 2014. Crime deterrence: Evidence from the London 2011 riots.
The Economic Journal. 124(576). pp.480-506.
Berman, G. and Dar, A., 2013. Prison population statistics. London: House of Commons Library.
Christopher, D.P., 2015. British culture: an introduction. Routledge.
Davies, W.K., 2016. Riots by a Growing Social Periphery? Interpreting the 2011 Urban Riots in
England. Urban Transformations: Centres, Peripheries and Systems, p.81.
FitzGerald, M. and Hale, C., 2013. 19 The politics of law and order. Criminology.
Jackson, J. and et.al., 2012. Just authority?: Trust in the Police in England and Wales. Routledge.
Kinealy, C., 2013. War and Peace: Ireland since the 1960s. Reaktion Books.
Newburn, T., 2015. The 2011 England Riots in Recent Historical Perspective. British Journal of
Criminology. 55(1). pp.39-64.
Panayi, P., 2014. An immigration history of Britain: multicultural racism since 1800. Routledge.
Pickard, S., 2014. The Trouble with Young People These Days’:‘Deviant’Youth, the Popular Press
and Politics in Contemporary Britain. Labelling the deviant: othering and exclusion in Britain from
past to present. French Journal of British Studies. 19(1). pp.91-121.
Stevenson, J., 2014. Popular disturbances in England 1700-1832. Routledge.
Online
ALLISON, R., 2001. Riot police clash with Asian youths in leeds. [Online]. Available Thorugh:
<http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jun/06/rebeccaallison1>. [Accessed on 15th April
2016]
Business can reduce riot risks. 2016. [Online]. Available Thorugh:
<http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Risk-Management/13595233.html>. [Accessed
on 15th April 2016]
H a re h i l l s r i o t m o b w a r n e d t h e y f a c e j a i l . 2 0 0 2 . [ O n l i n e ] . Av a i l a b l e T h o r u g h :
< h t t p : / / w w w. y o r k s h i r e e v e n i n g p o s t . c o . u k / n e w s / h a r e h i l l s - r i o t - m o b -
w a r n e d - t h e y - f a c e - j a i l - 1 - 2 0 6 4 9 9 2 > . [ A c c e s s e d o n 1 5 t h A p r i l 2 0 1 6 ]
Kundnani, A., 2001. F R O M O L D H A M T O B R A D F O R D : T H E V I O L E N C E O F T H E
V I O L AT E D . [ O n l i n e ] . Av a i l a b l e T h o r u g h :
< h t t p : / / w w w. i r r. o r g . u k / n e w s / f r o m - o l d h a m - t o - b r a d f o r d - t h e - v i o l e n c e - o f - t h e -
v i o l a t e d / > . [ A c c e s s e d o n 1 5 t h A p r i l 2 0 1 6 ]
Younge, G., 2011. These riots were political. They were looting not shoplifting. [Online]. Available
Thorugh: <http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/14/young-british-rioters-
political-actions>. [Accessed on 15th April 2016]
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