Handsworth Riots, Birmingham, England. 1985 The second Handsworth riots took place in the Handsworth district of Birmingham


Handsworth Riots, Birmingham, England. 1985 The second Handsworth riots took place in the Handsworth district of Birmingham, West Midlands, from 9–11 September 1985. The riots were reportedly sparked by the arrest of a man near the Acapulco Cafe, Lozells and a police raid on the Villa Cross public house in the same area. Hundreds of people attacked police and property, looting and smashing, even setting off fire bombs. Two brothers (Kassamali Moledina, 38, and his 44-year-old brother Amirali)[1] burnt to death in the Post Office which they ran.[2] Two other people were unaccounted for, 35 others injured, over 1500 police officers drafted into the area, around 45 shops looted and burnt, and a trail of damage running into hundreds of thousands of pounds.[3] As well as racial tension, unemployment was seen as a major factor in the riots; by the time of the riots, fewer than 5% of the black population to have left school that summer had found employment.


Size: 5240px × 3552px
Location: Birmingham, Handsworth, England
Photo credit: © BRIAN HARRIS / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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