# Brixton disturbances (1981)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/1981-brixton-disturbances
Categories: main-event

Serious clashes between police and residents erupted in south London amid unemployment and allegations of discriminatory policing. Within the broader Postwar & Modern UK period, decolonization, welfare institutions, migration, European integration and withdrawal, devolution and social change reshaped the modern United Kingdom. This event is placed at 1981 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. The unrest prompted the Scarman inquiry and national debate about race, policing and urban deprivation.

## Why it matters
The unrest prompted the Scarman inquiry and national debate about race, policing and urban deprivation.

Ruler at the time: [Elizabeth II](https://english-history.com/rulers/elizabeth-ii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Brixton disturbances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Brixton+disturbances&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Brixton disturbances](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Brixton+disturbances)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history)
- [The National Archives — Postwar collection](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/explore-by-time-period/postwar/)