Rioters point to excessive policing

“Blame the police: why the rioters say they took part,” headlines the Guardian, as it unveils a major study into the cause of this summer’s riots in England – “the most serious bout of civil unrest in a generation.” In conjunction with the London School of Economics (LSE), the London daily carried out interviews with 270 people who rioted in London and other major cities such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. Chief among the rioters’ complaints “was a pervasive sense of injustice,” the Guardian reports –

… many of those involved said they felt like they were participating in explicitly anti-police riots. They cited "policing" as the most significant cause of the riots, and anger over the police shooting of Mark Duggan, which triggered initial disturbances in Tottenham, was repeatedly mentioned – even outside London.

The report notes that 73% of those interviewed have been subject in the last 12 months to “Stop and Search” – a controversial anti-terrorist law which gives police powers to stop people without suspicion. Interviewees from Muslim and black communities expressed “deep frustration” at the way people in their communities were targeted. Against a backdrop of high youth unemployment and cuts, the report also notes that:

Many rioters conceded that their involvement in looting was simply down to opportunism, saying that a perceived suspension of normal rules presented them with an opportunity to acquire goods and luxury items they could not ordinarily afford. They often described the riots as a chance to obtain "free stuff" or sought to justify the theft.