The Brixton riot of April 11, 1981 was the most serious riot in London of the century. April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Riots in Newark, New Jersey Riots occur when crowds of people have gathered and are committing crimes or acts of violence. ... Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7. ...

Brixton in south London was a area of deep social and economic problems — high unemployment, high crime, poor housing, no amenities — in a predominantly black community. The police were strongly disliked and seen as largely reactionary and distant. An attempt at proactive crime control did much to increase tensions. The Metropolitan Police began Operation Swamp 81 at the beginning of April, aimed at reducing serious street crime, mainly through the heavy use of the so-called sus law. The inevitable concentration on black youths was poorly regarded. Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth. ... South London is the area of Greater London south of the River Thames. ... Dorothea Langes Migrant Mother depicts destitute pea pickers in California during the Great Depression. ... Metropolitan Police redirects here. ... in Britain the Sus law is a stop-and-search law, widely believed to have been abused by the Metropolitan Police to harass young black men. ...

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. As he was being escorted by two police officers along Railton Road towards a waiting vehicle a large crowd intervened. The police were attacked and the struggle only ended when more police officers arrived; the youth was taken to hospital. April 10 is the 100th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (101st in leap years). ...

Through the night of the 10th and on Saturday 11th the police brought a very strong force into the area. Tensions built throughout 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 Special Patrol Group, returned. The Special Patrol Group (SPG) was a controversial unit of the London Metropolitan Police. ...

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 UK 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. Molotov cocktail is the generic name for a variety of crude incendiary weapons. ... official_languages = Englishde facto5| Dieu et mon droit (Royal motto) (French for God and my right)3 Northern Irelands location within the UK Official languages English, Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Area  - Total Ranked 4th 13,843 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked... Firefighter with an axe A firefighter, sometimes still called a fireman though women have increasingly joined firefighting units, is a person who is trained and equipped to put out fires, rescue people and in some areas provide emergency medical services. ...

The destructive efforts of the rioters peaked at around 8pm, 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 1am 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. An amusingly named pub: the Old New Inn at Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds (southwest Midlands of England) A pub in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, Scotland A public house, usually known as a pub, is a drinking establishment found mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia... A school is most commonly a place designated for learning. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ...

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 was more unrest 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. Handsworth is a suburb of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. ... Southall is a London suburb in the London Borough of Ealing. ... Map sources for Toxteth at grid reference SJ355885 Huskisson Street, Liverpool Toxteth is an area of inner-city Liverpool, England, starting approximately a mile south from the city centre. ... Moss Side is an area of Manchester in England. ... Leeds is a city in the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire in the north of England. ... Leicester city centre, looking towards the clock tower Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city in the English East Midlands. ... Civic Centre, Southampton Southampton is a city and major port situated on the south coast of England. ... Halifax is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, northern England, with a population of about 90,000. ... Bedford is the county town of the English county of Bedfordshire. ... Gloucester (pronounced ) is a city and district in south-west England, close to the Welsh border. ... The Precinct in Coventry city centre Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. ... Bristol is a unitary authority with city and ceremonial county status in South West England. ... Edinburgh (pronounced ), Dùn Èideann () in Scottish Gaelic, is the second-largest city in Scotland and its capital city. ...

There was a public inquiry into the riot headed by Leslie Scarman. The Scarman report was published on November 25, 1981. Leslie George Scarman, Baron Scarman, PC (29 July 1911 – 8 December 2004) was a Law Lord (retired) and a cross bench member of the British House of Lords. ... ... November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The riots inspired the Eddy Grant song, "Electric Avenue" as well as The Clash song, "Groovy Times". Eddy Grant is a singer, who first made his name in the 1970s as lead singer of The Equals. ... The Clash was one of the most successful British punk rock groups that existed from 1976 to 1986. ...

See also

• Handsworth riots

The two Handsworth riots occurred in the Handsworth suburb of Birmingham England during the summers of 1981 and 1985. ...

External links

• Urban75 - An eye witness account by the 'We Want to Riot, Not To Work Collective', 1982
• Metropolitan Police Service - Brixton Riots, 1981
• BBC News Online - on this day