Brixton Hits Back!

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The citizens of Brixton last weekend struck a major blow against police repression.

The head of the Brixton police claims that it was "outsiders" - who fomented the anti-police riots.

He is right-but the outsiders were all wearing blue uniforms.

The massive outburst of fury expressed by thousands of inhabitants of Brixtonmostly but by no means only young, mostly but by no means only black-was cleariy provoked by the Following an incident on Friday April 10 in which police had been attacked while arresting a black youth, from early Saturday extra police began to arrive in the town.

As the day wore on the number of police in the streets grew steadily until, as was entirely predictable, the mounting tension exploded.

Barricades

Groups of young people built barricades around Railton Road-one of the areas of worst housing conditions in . Brixton-and directed their anger against the police.

Stones and petrol bombs were thrown. Several houses and shops and two pubs were burnt down before the police regained control of the area after a series of charges and attacks.

At the same time in the main street and the market area shop windows were broken and goods were looted on a very large scale.

As the main body of those involved in the riots was dispersed and the police -now in numbers probably never before seen in an area of London-got control of a smouldering and glass-strewn town, they began a series of small police riots.

Arriving in the area soon after 10 pm. I saw several unprovoked police baton charges directed at groups of young black bystanders. Published by Folrose Ltd for Registered as a newspaper at I saw individuals pulled out of the groups and avagely beaten by groups o f5 or Anyone watching this too closely was told by other police to "piss off" or 'fuck off"

The police claim that 190 of them were hurt. The number injured by the police must run into hundreds though they claim they only arrested 80 people.

Occupation

The next day (Sunday) Brixton was under police occupation and siege. Main roads through the town were blocked and bus and underground services suspended.

And Brixton waited for the next results of continuing police provocation.

And .. the labour movement, the black movementand the ruling class-began to consider what had happened ard its consequences.

The outburst of anger was in no sense a race riot. It was directed first of all against the police who for years have treated Brixton as virtually an occupied area and carried out continual harassment especially of young blacks and of gays.

Second, the looting was directed largely against big stores (Woolworths, Burtons, Morleys, a big department store and not so much against small locally owned shops (though there was considerable looting of market stalls).

Provoked

Third, though the movement was predominantly black, it was not directed against whites as such and a not insignificant number of whites (including skinheads) fought against the police.

There is some evidence in the destruction of property that it was consciously directed against known racists, though some of it was obviously more indiscriminate.

Why did it happen? Workers Socialist League, BM Post Office. Signed articles do Cleady the events were provoked by the mounting police occupation of the town on Saturday.

It is very hard to believe that this provocation was not completely conscious, designed both to give a pretext for more police harassment of blacks and also perhaps with broader political objectives such as spreading racist support for the Tories' racist Nationality Bill and other such measures. Though the police were almost certainly taken aback by the strength of resistance which they did provoke.

It was striking : after the events that the radio and the bourgeois press found it difficult to find anyone in the local area who did not blame police provocation for the riots.

Urgent

Difficult too to find anyone who was hostile to the implicit grievances and demands of the rioters.

Because they reflect the unemployment, bad housing conditions, poverty and racial oppression by the police, all of which are worsening as a result of the policies of the Tory government.

It is urgent that these grievances are taken up with maximum vigour by all socialist, labour movement, black, women's and gay organisations-both in Lambeth and nationally around the demand for the ending of the police occupation of Brixton and of continued police harassment of blacks, gays and others, and the dropping of all charges against those arrested.

Into such a campaign, ton, should be brought demands relating to unemployment useful public works spending. the organisation of the unemployed, the provision of youth facilities and against racism the abandonment of the Nationality Bill and the repeal of the racist Immigration Acts.

All of these policies imply the need to bring down the Tory government. * 5277, London WCIN 3XX. t necessarily represent the vie