Handsworth Riots

Handsworth, Birmingham

In the summer of 1981, riots erupted across the UK. The epicentre was Brixton, where Black communities were experiencing abusive policing, particularly through racist stop-and-search laws, as well as high rates of unemployment caused by discriminatory hiring practices, poor housing and long-term neglect. The riots were triggered when a Black youth was stopped and searched on his way to hospital after being stabbed. The incident escalated, as predominantly young Black men fought against the police. Consequently, unrest erupted in response to racist policing in other cities across the UK.

In Handsworth, an area of Birmingham with large racialized minority communities, Black and South Asian people mobilized in self-defence because of news that the National Front was marching through the area. Subsequently, rioting broke out due to the large police presence. The Scarman Report, which was produced by the British Government as part of an official investigation into the cause of the Brixton riot – in which 279 officers were injured and 82 people were arrested – suggested that the Handsworth riot was a ‘copycat’ of the events in Brixton, as were riots in Moss Side, Manchester and Toxteth, Liverpool, rather than a response to systemically racist policing.

In 1985 riots erupted again in Handsworth when a Black man was arrested after a police search outside the Acapulco Café and a raid on a nearby pub. The rioting primarily took place on Lozells Road, where cars were upturned and shops were looted. The riots were triggered by deep-seated poverty, unemployment and harassment by the police. Two people who worked in a post office were burned to death, and over 600 people were arrested. In addition, according to the Asian Youth Movement’s (AYM) publication Asian Youth News, the police conducted house raids and used plastic bullets on civilians. Around 1,500 police officers took to the streets in response to the violence. The Home Secretary Douglas Hurd attempted to visit the area during the riots but was forced to leave due to angry groups throwing rocks and burning cars.

The Handsworth Defence Campaign was established after the riots by Black and South Asian members of the Handsworth community. The campaign, which was supported by the AYM, received £2,000 of funding from the Barrow and Geraldine S. Cadbury Trust and Barrow Cadbury Fund. Its purpose was to legally support those who were arrested by the police and collect witness testimony. In 1987 the Banner Theatre and Birmingham Trades Council Miners’ Support Group organized a benefit called ‘Songs of Struggle’ to support the Handsworth Defence Campaign and celebrate the resistance of communities such as Irish anti-colonialists and striking miners.