In early August 2011, England was struck by riots, the worst in the country in decades. The timeline of the events of the riots spanned from 6–10 August.

Saturday, 6 August

Protest march On 6 August, an initially peaceful protest was held, beginning at Broadwater Farm and finishing at Tottenham police station. The protest was organised by friends and relatives of Mark Duggan (who was killed by police on 4 August 2011), to assert a perceived unmet need for justice for the family. The rioting occurred shortly after about 120 people marched from Broadwater Farm to Tottenham Police Station via the High Road. The group demanded that a senior local police officer speak to them. They stayed in front of the police station hours longer than originally planned because they were not satisfied with the seniority of the officers available at the time. A younger and more aggressive crowd arrived around dusk, some of whom were armed. Violence broke out following a rumour that police had attacked a 16-year-old girl.

Tottenham

A series of disturbances by people in Tottenham followed the protest march on 6 August. The rioting occurred shortly after about 120 people marched from Broadwater to Tottenham Police Station via the High Road. Tottenham is in the London borough of Haringey, which has the fourth highest level of child poverty in London and 8.8% unemployment.www.guardian.co.uk: There is a context to London's riots that can't be ignored

At 22:15, a gang of youths burned down Tottenham's post office. From around 22:30, attacks were carried out on police cars, a double-decker bus and local businesses and homes. Police vans and officers from the Territorial Support Group attended the disorder on Tottenham High Road. Shops windows were smashed and the shops looted by rioters. Fireworks, petrol bombs and other missiles were thrown at police. Twenty-six officers were injured, including one who sustained head injuries. Firefighters experienced difficulty reaching a burning building because of the disorder.

A BBC News correspondent said his news crew and vehicle came under attack from youths throwing missiles. Some news crews left the scene due to the threat of violence. The police set up a cordon around Tottenham police station and a nearby group of BBC and Sky journalists. Some of the police were on horseback.

Tottenham Hale The violent clashes were followed by the looting of Tottenham Hale retail park, which continued until dawn without police intervention.

Injuries and arrests London Ambulance Service confirmed that ten people had been treated for injuries and that nine were in hospital.

Sunday, 7 August

London incidents

Enfield and Ponders End

On Sunday evening, 7 August, violent disturbances erupted in Enfield, to the north of Tottenham, among a heavy presence of riot police.

Enfield Town centre, Enfield Town Park and alleyways between there and the Palace Garden shopping centre were 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 arrived in Enfield Town 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.

Disorder ensued around 5:30 when a police car in Church Street was pelted with bricks. Shops were attacked, including HMV's branch in Church Street. A police helicopter hovered over the area.

At around 19:00, police pushed a group of around thirty youths back onto Southbury Road towards the junction with Great Cambridge Road. Police dogs were deployed at the scene. Similar action drove back approximately 50 people along Southbury Road via Queens Street, after a preceding clash with rioters outside a supermarket.

At 19:30, both Metropolitan Police officers and reinforcements from Kent Police cordoned off Enfield, making a "sterile area" to deal with local disturbances, including robberies at Enfield Retail Park.

The scenes of Enfield were "reminiscent of Tottenham, though smaller."

Brixton

Looting spread to Brixton that evening. Six fire engines fought a blaze at a Foot Locker shoe shop in Brixton. Riot police and youths clashed near a local Currys store that was broken into during the disturbances. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, a local resident described "hundreds" of men and women entering the electrical shop and emerging with TVs and other electrical goods. When police arrived, the looters attacked, throwing rocks and the contents of rubbish bins at officers. A branch of Halfords was targeted and looted by youths.

One Brixton resident said: "People were coming to Brixton from outside the area. I was getting out of Brixton Tube last night about 22:30 and going up the escalator when about 10 teenagers ran up the escalator and pushed me to one side." By 11:57, both Tesco and Foot Locker were targeted by looters. Lambeth Council's leader, Councillor Steve Reed said of the mobs in Streatham, "They were looters not rioters."

Wood Green

Disorder broke out in Wood Green, two miles (3 km) from Tottenham, during the early hours of 7 August. Widespread looting involved around 100 youths who targeted high-street game shops, electrical shops and clothing chains. Others ransacked local shops on Wood Green High Road. A family-run jeweller was hit.

By 20:00, major rioting had spread to Wood Green, with riot police on hand. Again, the police did not intervene to stop the looting. The mostly Turkish and Kurdish shop owners along Wood Green, Turnpike Lane and Green Lanes, Harringay, formed local 'protection units' around their shops.

Other areas Dalston: Looting hit Kingsland shopping centre including JD Sports and Foot Locker. Denmark Hill: A gangland fight broke out at King's College Hospital at about 20:30, where two victims of a minor stabbing had been admitted earlier. Islington: The windscreen of a police vehicle was smashed as groups of youths caused a disturbance. Leyton: Looting occurred at Currys in Leyton Mills retail park and the bicycle shop Bike Shack. Oxford Circus: Overnight, violence spread to Oxford Circus, central London, as about 50 youths gathered and damaged property. Shepherd's Bush: The police skirmished on the Edward Wood Estate in Shepherd's Bush, while a shop was looted in King's Road. Streatham: A T-Mobile shop, JD Sports and other shops were ransacked. Councillor Mark Bennett said the owner of one shop in Streatham High Road was hospitalised after a mob attacked the shop. Woolwich: In Woolwich town centre local shops were looted and set on fire, including the Great Harry Pub, which later became the focus of local opinion about the events and was featured on Sky News after locals began writing their thoughts and messages on the boarded-up shell. Many locals felt that news coverage neglected the Woolwich events.

Hertfordshire incidents Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire: Looters and rioters attacked two police cars and two jewellers in Waltham Cross High Street at around 21:50. A specialist public order unit was sent to the area, along with sections of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Police Dog Unit.

Public response On 7 August, riots led to the cancellation of the Hackney One Carnival and Parks for Life Festival in Clissold Park, Stoke Newington.

Political and legal response Operation Withern was launched to investigate the cause of Mark Duggan's fatal shooting and the subsequent riots. According to a statement by the Metropolitan Police Service, Operation Withern was being led by Detective Superintendent John Sweeney of the Metropolitan Police Service, and is made up of detectives from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, specialist investigators from the Public Order Branch and police support staff.

The MP for Brent North, Barry Gardiner, said that community involvement there had so far prevented riots.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, revealed that he had provided an extra £42,000,000 to the Metropolitan Police during the previous year to increase police numbers in London.

Police Officers from North Yorkshire Police responded to the request to assist their colleagues in London.

Monday, 8 August

London By 07:59, the Metropolitan Police Commander Christine Jones said: "This is a challenging situation with small pockets of violence, looting and disorder breaking out on a number of boroughs." Jewellery shops across Tottenham, Enfield and Wood Green suffered break-ins. The Victoria line was closed between Stockwell and Brixton "due to civil unrest", according to London Underground. Angel, Islington, Stoke Newington and Wood Green were in police lockdown. All 32 boroughs of London were placed on riot alert.

Croydon Police closed the entire area around West Croydon station on the evening of 8 August. Bricks, bottles, stones and fireworks were thrown at police. Looted shops included branches of Argos, Iceland, House of Fraser, Orange, Maplin Electronics and Tesco. Purley Way stores Best Buy, PC World and Comet were heavily looted for electronics. Many other small businesses were also affected.

A large furniture shop, House of Reeves, which had been in Croydon since 1867, was burned to the ground.Riot fallout hits Croydon Croydon Guardian, 8 August 2011> Arsonists struck later that night and destroyed another building in the Reeves Corner district of Croydon. A Sky News satellite van came under attack and many shops, cars and buses were set alight in West Croydon. At 19:45, Croydon Advertiser reporter Gareth Davies was mugged while reporting in Surrey Street and Church Street.

A 26-year-old man from Brixton, Trevor Ellis, was shot and killed in South Croydon on Warrington Road. Police believe he was shot after a car chase following an argument over stolen goods, but as of September 2020 had not charged any suspects.

In February 2012, the Croydon Advertiser reported an investigation was underway following reports that only 3% of the police attended to the riots in Croydon whilst others were deployed elsewhere.

Ealing Some Ealing businesses were asked by police to close at 5 pm. On Ealing Broadway a group of 200 people attacked police cars and vandalised and looted shops.

Around Haven Green, close to Ealing Broadway tube station, cars and a bus were set alight and many other cars vandalised, shops had their windows smashed, a supermarket was looted and nearby residential properties were burgled. Near Ealing Green more shops were looted, several cars torched and a supermarket set alight with petrol bombs. Rioters attempting to vandalise two pubs in this area were dissuaded by the customers and staff. Hundreds of young people looted shops in West Ealing. There was minor trouble in Ealing Green. A 68-year-old man, Richard Bowes, was assaulted and robbed when he tried to remonstrate with rioters. He was said to be attempting to put out a fire when he was attacked. He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, and died three days later. His killer, Darell Desuze, was sentenced to eight years’ detention.

London Borough of Enfield

On the morning of 8 August several shops in Enfield Town and in the nearby A10 retail park were vandalised and looted, and two vehicles set ablaze. A large crowd of youths moved westwards, toward nearby Ponders End and wrecked a local Tesco. Hundreds of riot police and canine units arrived with vans and charged at groups of teenagers until they dispersed, smashing cars and shop windows on the way. A large Sony distribution centre was set alight and the fire destroyed the building.Hardiman, David. Massive fire at Enfield warehouse in Solar Way. Enfield Independent. Accessed 9 August 2011. Three Watford fire engines were called to the Sony warehouse in Enfield at about 03.30 the next day.

Elsewhere in London

Balham: Several shops were looted.