UK Riots: Fourth Night of Violence Spreads North

August 09, 2011 from Al Jazeera English

For the fourth night in a row, Britain's city streets are coming under attack from rioters and looters. There has been some violence in London but nowhere to the scale of Monday. This time trouble has spread to cities in the north. Up to 2,000 rioters stormed shops in the city of Manchester. At least 47 people have been arrested, and public transport across the city has been suspended. In nearby Salford, a local library has been set on fire. And a gang of at least 70 rioters looted a shopping center. In central England, there have been 80 arrests. A crowd of around 300 youths have broken into shops in Birmingham city center. Elsewhere in the West Midlands, rioters have smashed shop windows and started fires in West Bromwich - and roads have been closed in Wolverhampton. Meanwhile, a police station in Nottingham has been firebombed by between 30 to 40 youths. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports from London.

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Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in North West England with an estimated population of 503,000. Manchester lies within the United Kingdom's third largest urban area which has a population of 2,240,230. People from Manchester are known as Mancunians and the local a... Explore this topic

Looting

Looting also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting. The term is also used ... Explore this topic

2011 London riots

The 2011 London riots began on Saturday August 6, 2011 in response to the apparent police shooting of a young black man, Mark Duggan, escalated into widespread disturbances and looting in many areas of south and east London and, by the night of Monday August 8, had spread to o... Explore this topic

Riot

A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typi... Explore this topic

Fire

Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition. The flame is the visible portion of the f... Explore this topic

London

London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, and the largest city, urban zone and metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history g... Explore this topic

Police

The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by the state to enforce the law, protect property, and limit civil disorder. Their powers include the legitimized use of force. The term is most commonly associated with police services of a state that are authorized to ex... Explore this topic

English Midlands

The Midlands is an area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important location for the Industrial Revolu... Explore this topic

Salford, Greater Manchester

Salford lies at the heart of the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. Salford is sited in a meander of the River Irwell, which forms its boundary with the city of Manchester to the east. Together with its neighbouring towns to t... Explore this topic

West Bromwich

West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England, United Kingdom. It is 5 miles northwest of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road and is part of the Black Country. Historically part of Staffordshire, West Bromw... Explore this topic

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