Introduction

Abstract

In August 2011, the eyes of the world were set on thousands of young people as they took to Britain’s city streets and engaged in unprecedented scenes of civil disorder. A peaceful demonstration over the fatal police shooting of a young black man in Tottenham, north London, spiraled into four days of riots and looting, five deaths, untold economic damage, and nearly 4000 arrests. Via rolling news feed and grainy home video, Britons perused the charcoaled remains of local landmarks and public vehicles. They navigated a sea of broken glass and thrown projectiles. They relived exuberant raids upon steel-shuttered retail stores. They bore witness to indiscriminate acts of violence, mostly concentrated within eyeshot of a depressed post-war council estate. Less than one year away from hosting the Games of the XXX Olympiad, London was burning.