April 11th 1981: Brixton riots
On this day in 1981, rioting began in Brixton, in the Lambeth borough of London, which ultimately left over 300 people wounded. Brixton was an area with high unemployment and a large Afro-Caribbean community. Due to the high crime rate in the area, in April 1981 the police began a crackdown nicknamed ‘Operation Swamp’. This led to thousands of people – mostly young black men – being stopped and searched under the pretense of the ‘sus’ law, which allowed police to arrest people they suspected intended to commit a crime. The disproportionate profiling and targetting of black men led to rising tensions between police and the black community. Rumours of police brutality added to the climate of unrest, and the arrest of a young black man on April 11th sparked off violent clashes with police. The riots lasted for two days, and saw protestors throwing petrol bombs at police, burning cars, and looting shops. In its wake, the Brixton riots left 300 police officers and 65 civilians injured, along with an estimated £7.5 million in damages. An inquiry into the riots led to the end of the ‘sus’ law and the establishment of the Police Complaints Authority, but denied that the Metropolitan police was institutionally racist. Outrage at the continued targetting of black residents by police also encouraged a rise in black political participation in the United Kingdom. Just four years later, Brixton again erupted in violence after a black woman was accidentally shot during a police raid on her home.
35 years ago