2011 Tottenham riots

The 2011 Tottenham riots are a series of public disturbances in London, primarily in Tottenham, which began on 6 August 2011.
The shooting took place on the Ferry Lane bridge, next to Tottenham Hale station. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) stated that a non issue police handgun was later recovered at the scene. Duggan's girlfriend told the Evening Standard newspaper that she was shocked to learn her boyfriend of thirteen years was carrying a gun. This is standard practice whenever a member of the public dies as a result of police action. It is not yet known why police were attempting to arrest Duggan, but the IPCC said that the planned arrest was part of Operation Trident, a unit which investigates gun crime in London's black community, with special attention being placed on shootings relating to the illegal trade of drugs.
Protest march
On 6 August a peaceful protest was held, beginning at Broadwater Farm and finishing at Tottenham police station. The protest was organised by friends and relatives of Duggan to demand justice for the family. Around 200 people participated in this protest. Commentators have drawn parallels to the Broadwater Farm riot of 1985, during which one police officer, Keith Blakelock, was murdered. Blakelock's suspected killer was the leader of a gang which was replaced by the one Duggan was a member of following his imprisonment for other crimes. Fireworks, petrol bombs and other missiles were also thrown at police. Twenty-six officers were injured, including one who sustained head injuries. Firefighters were initially unable to reach a burning building due to the disorder.
A BBC News correspondent said his news crew and satellite vehicle came under attack from youths throwing missiles. Some news crews left the scene due to the threat of violence. A Mail on Sunday photographer was beaten and mugged. The police had set up a cordon around Tottenham police station and a nearby group of BBC and Sky journalists. Some of the police were mounted on horseback. in which around 100 youths targeted high-street game shops, electrical stores and clothing chains. Others ransacked local shops on Wood Green High Road.
Again, the police did not intervene to stop the looting.
Enfield Town centre, Enfield Town Park and alleyways between there and the Palace Garden shopping centre were being guarded by police. A heavy police presence was seen outside Enfield Town railway station where people arriving were being searched for security reasons.
Riot police had arrived in Enfield Town by the afternoon of 7 August as several small groups of hooded youngsters arrived in cars, buses and trains. Around 100 people were waiting in small groups in the vicinity of Enfield Town station in Southbury Road.
Some disorder sparked from around 17:30; a police car in Church Street was pelted with bricks. HMV's branch in Church Street was amongst the other shops that were reportedly attacked. A police helicopter hovered over the area to monitor events. Similar action drove back approximately fifty people along Southbury Road via Queens Street, after a preceding clash with hooligans outside a nearby supermarket.
The scenes of Enfield were 'reminiscent of Tottenham, though smaller.'
Police intelligence from local social groups and informants groups have indicated that more violence was expected on 7 August in Tottenham and Wood Green as well as in Brixton.
Political reactions
Tottenham's Labour MP David Lammy appealed for calm, saying that "true justice can only follow a thorough investigation of the facts." and that Tottenham had its "heart ripped out" by the riots. He said that rioters were not representative of the local community as a whole and insisted that the Independent Police Complaints Commission must fully establish the circumstances of Mark Duggan's death.
London's mayor, Boris Johnson, said: "I'm appalled at the scenes of violence and destruction in Tottenham."<ref name="guardian1"/>
Kit Malthouse, the deputy mayor of London, told a Sky News reporter that "criminal elements were to blame for the trouble."<ref name="guardian1"/>

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