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Reading the Riots Investigating England’S Summer of Disorder

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Reading the Riots Investigating England’s summer of disorder Reading the Riots Foreword by Alan Rusbridger, editor-in-chief, the Guardian, and Professor Judith Rees, director, London School of Economics The riots in early August 2011 were arguably the worst bout of civil unrest in a generation. However, unlike in the early 1980s there was to be no Scarman-style inquiry into the causes. Meanwhile, politicians and others rushed to pronounce on what had happened, and why, and to offer an array of policy solutions. While several reviews and investigations were subsequently established, a number of very significant gaps in public understanding of the events remained. Most visible among these was what drew people out on to the streets for four nights in August and what motivated them? We’d had riots, but we knew little about the rioters. The Guardian had been at the forefront of the reporting of the riots, both in a traditional journalistic sense and much more broadly through the collection and analysis of data from the courts as arrests and prosecutions mounted up. 1 Reading the Riots The opportunity was there to expand this work and to embark on something truly ambitious: a full-scale study of the riots and their aftermath. It was this that led to the partnership with the LSE’s Social Policy Department and, with the generous support of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Open Society Foundations, to Reading the Riots. We believe this will prove to be a landmark study. It is a unique collaboration between a national newspaper and a leading university. Its overarching aim has been to conduct high-quality social research at a speed and in a way that maximises its likelihood of affecting public and political debate without sacrificing any of its rigour. This report brings together the outcome of the first phase of the study, focusing in a way that has not previously been possible on the nature, motivations, attitudes and experiences of those who rioted across London and in Birmingham, Manchester, Salford, Nottingham and Liverpool. 2 Have you been stopped and searched Have you been Respondents who said in the last 12 months? Respondents saying listed item was an stopped and searched police in their area Respondents who said The riots will Respondents saying ‘important’ or ‘very happen again in the last 12 months? generally do an listed item was an The riots will police in their area important’ cause of No 27% ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ job ‘important’ or ‘very happen again generally do an the riots, % Agree 81% important’ cause of NoYes27% 73% ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ job Rioters Guardian/ICM Agree 81% British Crime Survey 56% the riots, % 12% Disagree Yes 73% British Crime Survey 56% PovRiertyoters Guardian86%/ICM 7% Reading the Riots 12% Disagree Stop and search in 7% Don't know Poverty 69%86% London, 2009/2010 SOURCE:7% BCS,Readi ng the Riots Stop and search in GUARDIAN/LSE RESEARCH 7% Don't know Black people as a % of London's Policing 69%85% Of respondents London, 2009/2010 SOURCE: BCS, expressing a view, population GUARDIAN/LSE RESEARCH Policing 68%85% Of respondents Black people as a % of London's when? expressing a view, populatio11%n Government policy68%80% Reading the Riots when?37% Not for four 11% ‘I feel I am part of Government policy65%80% years or longer British society’ 37% Not for four ‘I feel I am part of 65% 34% Theyears ne orxt threlongeer Unemployment 79% years BrStronitishgl soy acgreeiety’ The next three Unemployment 79%79% 34% StronCitizenshipgly agree 29% Theyear nesxt year survey 53% 79% Shooting of 75% Executive Black people stopped and Citizenship 29% The next year survey14% Readin53%g the Riots Mark Duggan 51% Would you get searched Shooting of 75% Black people stopped and Mark Duggan involved again? 14% Reading the Riots Social media 51%74% summaryWould you get searched 28% Tend to agree involved again? 64% No 65% 28% Social media 74% Tend39% to agree No 65% Media coverage64%72% Yes 35% 37%39% Media coverage 73% 72% SYesOURCE:35% GUARDIAN/LSE 37% Greed 73% RESEARCH 70% SOURCE: GUARDIAN/LSE All agree 77% RESEARCH SOURCE: GUARDIAN/LSE Greed 70% RESEARCH, POLICE POWERS & All agree 92% 77% SOURCEPROCEDURES: GUARDIAN/LSE BULLETIN Inequality 70% eading the Riots is a collaborative AgeRESEARCH, of POLICEthose POWERS & 92% Number of interviews PROCEDURES BULLETIN 51% Inequality 61%70% social research inquiry interviewed Number of interviews London SOURCE: ICM,51% Boredom 61% 185 68% conducted by the Guardian 35+ GUARDIAN/LSE RESEARCH London SOURCE: ICM, Boredom 67% 185 25-34 7% 68% and the30 BirminghaLondon mSchool of 35+ GUARDIAN/LSE RESEARCH 10.5% 10-17 Criminality 64%67% Economics,30 Birmingha fundedm by the 25-34 7% 29% 29 Manchester 10.5% 10-17 Criminality 64% 86% Joseph Rowntree Foundation 21-24 % 29% Male 29 Manchester 16.5% Moral 56% 86% Rand the Open Society16 Liv Foundations.erpool In its 21-24 % Male decline 82% 16.5% 18-20 Moral 56% first phase, the study16 Liv erpousedol confidential 32% 7 Salford 18-20 declineRacial 54% 82% interviews with 270 people who were 32% tensions 7 Salford Racial 54%56% directly involved3 inNo ttinghathe riotsm in London, tensions Ethnicity Poor 40%56% Birmingham, Manchester,3 Nottingham Salford, Liverpool Asian 79% parenting 86% Mixed/ 4.5% Female Poor 40% and Nottingham. other Asian 79% parenting 86% Mi17%xed/ 4.5% Female 32% Four-fifths of the interviewees were male other Gangs 17% Black 32% 75% and one-fifth female. Almost 30% were % 47% Black GangsSOURCE: ICM, 75% White GUARDIAN/LSE RESEARCH juveniles (aged 10-17) and a further 49% 26% % 47% SOURCE: ICM, White GUARDIAN/LSE RESEARCH were aged 18-25. In terms of self-identified 26% 21% ethnicity, 26% of the sample were white, 47% 21% black, 5% Asian, and 17% “mixed/other”. The basis of the study was in-depth, primarily qualitative interviews with rioters, the majority of which were conducted in the community, and a small minority in prison. Gender The primary aim of this aspect of the study GenderMale was to understand who had been involved 79% Male in the riots and what their motivations were, 79% together with a considered analysis of the role of gangs and of social media. This first phase, therefore, also involved a Female 21% separate analysis by academics at Manchester Female 21% University of a database of more than 2.5m riot-related tweets. 3 Have you been stopped and searched Respondents who said in the last 12 months? Respondents saying listed item was an The riots will police in their area ‘important’ or ‘very happen again generally do an important’ cause of No 27% ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ job the riots, % Agree 81% Yes 73% Rioters Guardian/ICM British Crime Survey 56% 12% Disagree Poverty 86% 7% Reading the Riots Stop and search in 7% Don't know 69% London, 2009/2010 SOURCE: BCS, GUARDIAN/LSE RESEARCH Policing 85% Of respondents Black people as a % of London's population 68% expressing a view, when? 11% Government policy 80% 37% Not for four ‘I feel I am part of 65% years or longer British society’ 34% The next three Unemployment 79% years Strongly agree 79% Citizenship 29% The next year survey 53% Shooting of 75% Black people stopped and 14% Reading the Riots Mark Duggan 51% Would you get searched involved again? Social media 74% 28% Tend to agree 64% No 65% Reading the Riots 39% Media coverage 72% Yes 35% 37% 73% SOURCE: GUARDIAN/LSE RESEARCH The main findingsGreed from the70% first phase of the Locations of All agree 77% SOURCE: GUARDIAN/LSE interviewees RESEARCH, POLICE POWERS & 92% study are: PROCEDURES BULLETIN Inequality 70% • Widespread anger and frustration at people’s Number of interviews 51% 61% every day treatment at the hands of police London SOURCE: ICM, Boredom 68% 185 was a significant factor in the summer riots 35+ GUARDIAN/LSE RESEARCH 67% 30 Birmingham 25-34 7% in every major city where disorder took 10.5% 10-17 Criminality 64% 29% place. Of the 270 people interviewed, 85% 29 Manchester 86% 21-24 % Male said policing was an “important” or “very 16.5% important” factorMoral in why56% the riots happened. 16 Liverpool decline 82% 18-20 • At the heart of problematic relations with 7 Salford 32% the police wasRacial a sense54% of a lack of respect tensions 56% 3 Nottingham as well as anger at what was felt to be 79% discriminatoryPoor treatment.40% The focus of Asian parenting 86% Mixed/ 4.5% Female much resentment was police use of stop and other 32% 17% search, which was felt to be unfairly targeted Black Gangs 75% % and often undertaken in an aggressive and 47% SOURCE: ICM, White discourteousGU manner.ARDIAN/LSE R ESEARCH 26% • Gangs behaved in an entirely atypical 21% manner for the duration of the riots, temporarily suspending hostilities with their postcode rivals. The effective four-day truce applied to towns and cities across England. However, on the whole the role of gangs in the riots has been significantly Gender overstated. Male • Contrary to widespread speculation at the 79% time, the social media sites Facebook and Twitter were not used in any significant way by rioters. In contrast, the free messaging Female service available on BlackBerry phones – 21% known as “BBM” – was used extensively to communicate, share information and plan in advance of riots. • Although mainly young and male, those 81% involved in the riots came from a cross- of those interviewed section of local communities. Just under said that they thought half of those interviewed in the study the riots would happen were students.
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