The August riots and why they occurred: Ben Hickey (17), Toysin Ajaayi (21)*

The nationwide riots of August 2011 were well documented and cited as being indicative of a ‘Broken Britain’. The importance placed on these events has been such that the investigation into the contributing factors behind the riots has become a topic of utmost importance. This essay, supplemented by research conducted by Independent Academic Research Studies, considers the motivations of the rioters.

To someone watching the events unfold night after night on various news channels, the question as to exactly why rioting spread to so many areas must have been recurrent. Social psychologists might use the theory of deindividuation – which is the loosening of social norms in groups - to account for initial outbreaks of violence in Tottenham. The application of this theory to the riots to some degree might explain how members of the public were swept up in a maelstrom of confusion and subsequently proceeded to commit criminal acts because of their reduced sense of propriety and attachment to social norms. However, this interpretation by itself fails to account for the rioting outbreak. Clearly the rage expressed by the initial rioters struck a chord with many others. The question must therefore be asked; what underlying factors chimed with the potential rioter lying within those responsible?

A theme persistently expressed by young people was that of social exclusion; many young people feel like they do not have a significant place in society and that their voices are not being heard by the government or local authorities. Ladan Dirie, 16, from North West London said, ‘If ‘the establishment’ don’t listen, the riots may stop but the resentment will never go away’. It is my belief that this quote articulates a significant majority of young people’s beliefs. The rioters may have been expressing their anger and frustration at what they perceive to be the gradual construction of an elitist society wherein the wealthy are provided with ample opportunities and the disadvantaged seemingly deprived of them.

There seems to be a disparity between those who believe that the riots were the result of a widening class divide in British society, and those who think that it was ‘criminality, plain and simple’. Indeed, several young people stated that pure opportunism was an underlying motivating factor, which appears to be in line with the theory of deinviduation. However, this inevitably leads to questions regarding the morals and values held by the people involved. Did they not care that they were destroying the homes and businesses of their neighbours? Perhaps these expressions of violence are the most poignant in that they exemplify the extent to which social exclusion has taken root in Britain’s main cities. It could be reasoned that rioters never considered the damage that they were inflicting on their own neighborhoods because they never considered themselves to be a part of that neighborhood in the first place.

What must also be given substantial consideration is the profound effect of the mass media in exacerbating the effects of the riots through the use of misleading news reports on the matter. Young people were continually portrayed as the sole villains, when in actual fact the culprits represented a much broader demographic. One young volunteer remarked during a focus group conducted in the aftermath of the riots that the media ‘completely over-emphasised the participation of young people’. News reports were often found to be reducing the riots down to their bare components in an apparent bid to make the stories easier to comprehend and sell more papers or boost ratings. As is the case with many socially sensitive topics, the media’s vested interest may have contributed substantially to aggravating the situation on the streets.

What has emerged from our inquiry into the causes of the riots was that there is in fact no clear answer, no simple fact or statistic, that comprehensively explains the actions of those responsible. What cannot be disputed, however, is the overriding sentiment that these riots have exposed a lack of responsibility within our society from the rioters, to some of their parents and indeed to the authorities charged with maintaining public order. Young rioters ought to witness the effects which their actions have had on innocent victims; parents ought to accept accountability for the welfare of their children, and politicians ought to abstain from exploiting the riots to fuel their respective political agendas. And whilst most young people may express their disgust and horror at the actions of the rioters, we ought to seek to understand their motives, for without this sense of understanding, the dissatisfied among us will continue to express themselves in the only way which they feel they can be heard.

*All views expressed in this article are the author's. IARS accepts no responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any views expressed in these articles and will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information or any losses or damages arising from its display or use.

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