# 2011 United Kingdom Riots The 2011 United Kingdom Riots were four nights of looting, arson and clashes with police that hit London and spread across English cities in early August 2011, set off by the fatal police shooting of 29-year-old Mark Duggan. UK press labelled it Britain's first social media-driven riot after BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook and Twitter were used to coordinate crowds and share footage in real time. ## Overview The 2011 United Kingdom Riots refer to civil disturbances that started in Tottenham on August 6th, 2011 and spread across London and other English cities over the following four nights[3]. UK press labelled it the country's first social media-driven riot as crowds used mobile web platforms to organise and broadcast the disorder as it happened[2]. BlackBerry Messenger, popular with British teenagers for its free encrypted broadcasts, was reported as the key tool rioters used to plan targets and warn of police movements[1]. Twitter feeds and Facebook pages pulled bystanders into the action while also spreading exaggerated rumours of attacks that never actually happened[5]. ## How It Spread Over the following days the disorder jumped from Tottenham to Wood Green, Enfield Town, Ponders End and Brixton, then to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol, with hundreds of arrests as groups of youths hit new shopping streets each night[6]. A Facebook memorial page for Mark Duggan gathered thousands of followers within an hour of the first riot and was used to prod bystanders to film and take part[3]. The online backlash to the 2011 United Kingdom Riots was almost as fast as the rioting itself. A Google Group called 'London Riots Facial Recognition' invited members to match CCTV stills and Flickr photos to individual looters[4], a crowdsourced identification effort also covered by TechCrunch alongside official police appeals[7]. Several teenagers were later charged with incitement for setting up rival BlackBerry Messenger and Facebook groups calling for further looting[8]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is 2011 United Kingdom Riots? Four nights of looting, arson and clashes with police that hit English cities in August 2011, described as Britain's first social media riot for the way crowds used BlackBerry Messenger and Facebook to coordinate[1]. ### Where did 2011 United Kingdom Riots come from? It began at a street protest outside Tottenham Police Station on August 6th, 2011, held two days after Metropolitan Police officers shot dead 29-year-old Mark Duggan during an attempted stop[2]. ### What does 2011 United Kingdom Riots mean? It refers to the specific August 2011 wave of English riots, remembered mainly as the first big Western case study for how mobile networks like BlackBerry Messenger could amplify a street disturbance into a national event[1]. ### How do you use 2011 United Kingdom Riots? The term is used in debates about social media, policing and youth culture, and cited as the earliest large Western example of BBM and Facebook being used to coordinate rioters and looters[2]. ### Is 2011 United Kingdom Riots still popular? It is still referenced as a landmark case in British policing and social media history, with hundreds of court cases from the riots keeping the story cited years later[6]. ## References 1. [https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/dec/07/bbm-rioters-communication-method-choice]() 2. [https://www.silicon.co.uk]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/2011-united-kingdom-riots]() 4. [https://groups.google.com/group/london-riots-facial-recognition]() 5. [https://voices.washingtonpost.com]() 6. [https://www.mirror.co.uk]() 7. [https://techcrunch.com]() 8. [https://www.inquisitr.com]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/2011-united-kingdom-riots Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library