The Brixton riot of April 11, 1981 was the most serious riot in London of the century.
Brixton in south London was a area of deep social and economic problems in a predominantly black community - high unemployment, high crime, poor housing, no amenities. The police were strongly disliked and seen as largely reactionary and distant. An attempt in proactive crime control did much to increase tensions. The Metropolitan Police began Operation Swamp 81 from the beginning of April, aimed at reducing serious street crime the heavy use of SUS and the inevitable concentration on black youths was poorly regarded.
The actual riot was unplanned, almost spontaneous. On the evening of the 10th, at around 17.15, a black youth with a knife wound was stopped by a police patrol, he was being escorted by two police officers along Railton Road towards a waiting vehicle when a large crowd intervened. The police were attacked and the struggle only ended when more police officers arrived, the youth was taken to hospital.
Through the night of the 10th and on the 11th, Saturday, the police brought a very strong force into the area. Tensions built through the day as crowds slowly gathered. In early evening, as the police attempted to make some arrests on Atlantic Road, the tension broke, a few bricks were thrown and windows smashed. More police closed in and more missiles began to be thrown. The police retreated, leaving their vehicle to be burned. Other vehicles were burned and shops looted on Railton Road, Mayall Road, Leeson Road and Brixton Road before the police, notably the SPG, returned.
The police sealed the Atlantic-Railton-Mayall area, although a number of other streets had groups of looters. Following agreed tactics the police formed deep shield walls and moved to reclaim the area. The rioters responded with bricks, bottles, and petrol bombs - the first British use of "Molotov cocktails" outside of Northern Ireland. Cars and buildings were set alight and fire service vehicles attacked as they tried to deal with the flames.
The destructive efforts of the rioters peaked at around 20.00, with two public houses, schools and other structures burning. Two hours later the police had the area under some control, although the fire services refused to return until the following morning. By 01.00 the area was largely subdued, with no large groups - except the police - on the streets.
Attempts to reignite violence on the 12th failed quickly with more than 1,000 officers on the streets
The riot resulted in almost 300 police injuries and 65 serious civilian injuries; over a hundred vehicles were burned, including 56 police vehicles; almost 150 buildings were damaged, with thirty burned. There were 82 arrests.
Between July 3 and 11 of that year, there were more uprisings fueled by racial and social discord, in Handsworth, Southall, Toxteth, and Moss Side. There were also smaller pockets of unrest in Leeds, Leicester, Southampton, Halifax, Bedford, Gloucester, Coventry, Bristol, and Edinburgh.
There was a public inquiry into the riot headed by Leslie Scarman. The Scarman report was published on November 25, 1981.
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Last updated: 07-30-2005 04:17:05
