How 2011 riots gave looters a warped sense of community
RioTERS who ransacked cities and attacked police across England in august 2011 felt a ‘sense of community’, researchers said yesterday.
Rival gang members who would usually knife each other on sight united to fight officers and loot and burn shops.
The feeling of unity created a sense of euphoria that further fuelled the chaos between august 6 and 11, which cost millions of pounds to clear up.
Dr John Drury, from the University of Sussex, is carrying out a £730,000 research project into the riots.
He said police ‘reticence’ to respond after rioters burned a patrol car gave the impression that officers were weak and looters could act with impunity. The sight of the car in flames emboldened rioters in Tottenham, north london, and beyond as it went viral on social media, the researchers said.
Dr Drury said: ‘This riot saw traditional postcode rivalries melt away in the face of a common enemy in the police, and the emergence of a shared identity. our research shows for the first time how that happened.’
The rioting was triggered by the death of Mark Duggan, a suspected gang member shot by police in Tottenham.
local disorder quickly spread to neighbouring districts. Violence also erupted in other towns and cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, leicester, and Bristol.
The psychologists studied YouTube videos, arrest records, police reports and interviews with 41 rioters.
admitting critics might reject a link between rioting and community spirit, Dr Drury said: ‘our task is to understand and explain. Some of it might be shocking, but this is what we find.’
an official report into the riots also said there was a sense that police could not contain the violence, adding: ‘Rioters believed they would be able to damage without being challenged. in the hardest-hit areas, they were correct.’