‘The Short Hot Summer’: The August Riots in the UK, 2011

The Hold Out 2313 San Pablo Ave, Oakland CA, USA

The August ‘riots’ in Britain last summer were portrayed by the media and politicians as the actions of ‘greedy feral youth’ or ‘gangs’ within a ‘criminal underclass’. Most of these politically loaded explanations were presented before what had happened was even known. Using hard research and the voices of participants, this event will provide an analysis of the ‘riots’ of August, considering what (actually) happened, who was involved and how they did it. This approach is complimented by a critique of the content and use of government statistics and the representation of the disturbances in the media and mainstream politics.

The seminar discussion will be complimented by a showing of the short film ‘Rebellion in Tottenham 2011’.