2011 England riots

The 2011 England riots were several days of rioting, looting and arson that began in Tottenham, north London, after a protest over the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan. The disorder spread across London and then to cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol, with shops looted, buildings and cars burned, and widespread fear. Five people died, and thousands were later arrested and many received prison sentences, some of them severe. Politicians and commentators argued over the causes, citing opportunistic crime, social inequality, youth unemployment, distrust of the police and the effects of consumerism. The government responded with a review of the policing of the riots and with changes in policy on gangs.

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