1981 Brixton riot facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 1981 Brixton riot
Part of the 1981 England riots
Police with riot shields form a cordon across Atlantic Road at its junction with Coldharbour Lane, 11 April 1981
Date	10–12 April 1981
Location	Brixton, South London, England
Methods	Rioting, looting, arson
Reported injuries
279 police officers injured 45 members of the public injured

The 1981 Brixton riot, also called the Brixton uprising, was a series of serious events in Brixton, London. It happened between April 10 and 12, 1981. These events involved mostly young black people and the Metropolitan Police.

The main riot on April 11 was called "Bloody Saturday" by Time magazine. During this time, 279 police officers and 45 members of the public were hurt. Over 100 vehicles, including 56 police cars, were burned. Almost 150 buildings were damaged, and 30 of them were burned down. Many shops were also looted. Police arrested 82 people. Reports said that up to 5,000 people were involved. After the Brixton riot, similar events happened in July in many other English cities and towns. The government at the time, led by Margaret Thatcher, ordered a special investigation. This led to the Scarman Report.

Why the Brixton Riot Happened

Brixton in South London was an area facing many tough problems. By 1981, the whole United Kingdom was going through a recession. This meant many people lost their jobs and money was tight. The local African-Caribbean community in Brixton was especially affected. They faced high unemployment, poor housing, and more crime.

In the months before the riot, people in Lambeth, the area where Brixton is, felt more and more upset with the police. The police noticed crime was rising. In early April, the Metropolitan Police started something called Operation Swamp 81. This was a plan to reduce crime. Police officers, some dressed in regular clothes, increased patrols in Brixton. Within five days, police stopped and searched 943 people. They arrested 82 people. This happened because of a law often called the "Sus law." This law let police stop and search people if they thought they were acting suspiciously. The African-Caribbean community felt that police used this law unfairly against black people.

Events of April 10 and 11

People's anger reached a peak on Friday, April 10. Around 5:15 PM, a police constable saw a young black man named Michael Bailey running. He seemed to be running away from three other young men. The officer stopped Bailey and saw he was bleeding badly. Bailey broke away but was stopped again. He had a stab wound. He ran into a flat, and a family helped him.

A crowd gathered. When police tried to take Bailey to a taxi, the crowd tried to stop them. They thought the police were not helping Bailey fast enough. When a police car arrived, an officer moved Bailey into it to get him to the hospital quicker. A group of 50 young people started shouting for Bailey to be released. They thought the police were arresting him. The crowd pulled him out of the police car.

Rumors spread that the police had left a young person to die. More than 200 young people, both black and white, many with Afro-Caribbean backgrounds, reportedly turned against the police. Even with the rising tension, the police decided to increase patrols and continue Operation Swamp 81 through the night and into the next day.

The Main Riot: April 11 and 12

Many in the local community believed the young man died because of police actions. This made tensions grow throughout the day. The first serious trouble started around 4 PM. Two police officers stopped a mini-cab in Railton Road. By this time, Brixton Road was full of angry people. Police cars were hit with bricks.

Around 5 PM, the trouble grew and spread. The 9 PM BBC News reported that 46 police officers were hurt. Shops were looted on several streets. Looting in Brixton started around 6 PM. At 6:15 PM, the fire department got its first call. A police van was set on fire. When firefighters tried to get through, they were attacked with stones and bottles.

Police called for help from officers across London. They had no clear plan and only thin helmets and plastic shields. They also had trouble with their radios. Police tried to clear the streets by pushing rioters back. The rioters fought back with bricks, bottles, and petrol bombs (fire bombs).

At 5:30 PM, the violence got even worse. Some people who were not rioting tried to help. They asked the police to leave the area to calm things down. But these efforts failed. The worst of the rioting happened around 8 PM. Two pubs, 26 businesses, schools, and other buildings were set on fire.

By 9:30 PM, over 1,000 police officers were in Brixton. They pushed the rioters out. By 1 AM on April 12, the area was mostly quiet. The fire department refused to return until the next morning. Police numbers grew to over 2,500. By early Sunday morning, the rioting had stopped.

After the Riot

During the events, 299 police officers were hurt. At least 65 members of the public were also injured. 61 private vehicles and 56 police vehicles were destroyed. 28 buildings were burned, and another 117 were damaged and looted. 82 people were arrested.

Between July 3 and 11 of that year, more unrest happened. This was also caused by racial and social problems. Riots took place in places like Handsworth in Birmingham, Southall in London, Toxteth in Liverpool, and Moss Side in Manchester. Smaller troubles also happened in other towns. Racial tension was a big part of most of these events. All the riots happened in areas hit hard by unemployment and money problems.

The Scarman Report

The Home Secretary, William Whitelaw, asked Lord Scarman to lead a public investigation into the riot. The Scarman report was released on November 25, 1981.

Scarman found clear proof that police used 'stop and search' powers too much and unfairly against black people. Because of this, a new set of rules for police behavior was created in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. This law also set up an independent Police Complaints Authority in 1985. This was meant to help people trust the police more. Scarman said that "complex political, social and economic factors" led to the violent protests.

Other Events and Reactions

On April 13, Margaret Thatcher, who was the Prime Minister, said that unemployment and racism were not the reasons for the Brixton events. She stated, "Nothing, but nothing, justifies what happened." At that time, 13 percent of people in Brixton were unemployed. For ethnic minorities, it was 25.4 percent. Unemployment among young black people was thought to be 55 percent. Thatcher did not want to spend more money in Britain's inner cities. She said, "Money cannot buy either trust or racial harmony."

Small troubles continued through the summer. After four nights of rioting in Liverpool during the Toxteth riots, which started on July 4, 150 buildings were burned. 781 police officers were hurt. CS gas was used for the first time in mainland Britain to stop the rioting. On July 10, new rioting happened in Brixton. The troubles finally started to calm down by the end of July.

The Scarman Report suggested ways to deal with racial unfairness and problems in inner cities. However, these ideas were not fully put into action. Rioting happened again in Brixton in 1985 and 1995.

Images for kids

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  Police with riot shields form a cordon across Atlantic Road at its junction with Coldharbour Lane, 11 April 1981

See also

In Spanish: Disturbio de Brixton de 1981 para niños