THE RIOTS - HISTORY DOESN'T REPEAT ITSELF, BUT IT ECHOES!
Posted at 10-08-2011 by: The StoryVault Team
The TV and newspaper coverage of the riots in Britain keep referring to "the worst riots for 30 years", and of course they are referring to the riots which broke out in Toxteth and Brixton in 1981. It's instructive, therefore, to put either Roger Fuller or Alex Wheatle (or Brixton riots) into "search" and hear a little of what that was like. Roger was a policeman who was called to help deal with the riots on Railton Road, and Alex was a young black man who was out rioting on the other side of the line. Both of their stories are about events which happened three decades ago, but which could have happened three days ago. Have we learned nothing? Well, it feels as though Roger and Alex both did - but what's the excuse for the rest of us?