moss side riots 1981

[wearethesouthstand]

following on from the strangewys thread, what are peoples memories of this event...

were you from moss side, did you take part ? if so, what were you protesting about ?

what damage did the events do to the area long term ?

was there any effect on mcfc at all ? or any club response ?

i was only 5 at the time and don't recall it, in conversation afterwards though, was told james anderton, ex chief of gmp, cleared the rioters by driving range rovers at full speed at the rioters and threatening to run them over ...

 

[bainy]

anderton was a cu*t.
GMP in those days drove riot vans into many city fans walking the walk back to town! (quarter final 81 v everton being 1).
Lived in lower broughton in 81, was 17 at the time the cry went around salford to mob up and 'take over'.
Salford (never shy in a fight) at that time had been infildrated by the workers revolution party (WRP)who milked it!! Salford duly responded with riots on regent rd, with the mob trying to move into hulme.
However a house party in salford at that time would of caused a riot!!!

 

[Zin 'messiah' Zimmer]

was a little bambino in his buggy but the stories have been passed down.................. best one was Margrets (of 'thats life' fame) sweetie shop on claremont rd (next to big colins soccer shop), she was invaded by scared coppers who were being chased by a mob, now if anyone remembers margrets she had a fuck off security partition which separated her from the customer, she proceeded to tell the police to get out her shop, not allowing them through at any point....... the mob lets say caught the coppers, proceeded to give a hiding, then started buying 1p laces and her famous jublies....... or so the story goes (O:

 

[robsta]

I lived in Whalley Range at the time. Never got involved coz I but used to hear the riots every night. Used to be let off work early to get home before it kicked off. I left late one night and rode home on my 100cc bike. A large gang of lads walking towards Princess Road stood across the road as if they were going to grab me off it and do god knows what. I bricked it, swung it round and rode back to town.

Other memory was off a well known City hooligan appearing in a picture on the front page of the MEN, holding a TV (I think) that he appeared to have just looted from the shop in the background. Pmsl at that.

 

[scowy68]

I wonder if them litte fella's that used to mind your car we're flogging bricks and petrol bombs to the rioters.

 

[bluevengence]

happy days......

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUo8DIvO9yc[/youtube]

 

[-dabz-]

happy days......

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUo8DIvO9yc[/youtube]

Thats weird you posting that...
I was gonna do a post about how a few weeks before the riots I was in the house of Harlem Spirits bongo player (Joe I think his name was) when I passed out after a rather strong spliff listening to this single. Before I came to, I dreamed/hallucinated I was flying through shop windows smashing them as I went. As I woke up, I saw a Mongolian warrior jump off his horse and run at me so I punched at him like fuck. When I came to, it turned out that as I was passing out, Joe realised what was happening and my head was going to collide with the corner of his telly, so he guided me to the floor and waited for me to come round. When I did, apparently I punched him in the face a couple of times:O/ Saved my life that day. Cheers Joe, sorry about that.
The shop window bit and what came to pass a few weeks later has always stuck in my mind (Thankfully his telly didn't).

 

[PinkFinal]

I remember late night on Granada they had a news bulletin and listed all the areas that had experienced trouble

It included Rusholme and Longsight

Then the Evening News listed people charged and they seemed to be from all over Manchester

Around the same time we had people selling stuff door to door in Audenshaw , I don't know if they'd looted shops or something

I recall that other events that were going on at the same time included the Irish hunger strikers and the pope being shot.
As I went to Maine Road from the east I had never seen the other side of Moss Side so it was a bit mysterious though I remember being driven down Princess Road later that summer and seeing the results of the disorder. The Yorkshire Ripper had recently been jailed and I knew that he'd killed someone near Southern Cemetery so I had a morbid curiosity about the area generally.
,
Ghost Town hit number one when the riots were going on it was uncanny.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

I taught at Claremont Junior School at the time.
The teachers used to take the kids home in groups after school cos a lot of them were scared.
The first night it kicked off we came in the next day and shop windows were in, houses damaged but the school was untouched.
I remember the kids telling us tales of the TAG police transits driving straight through people’s front gardens and up to the front doors. Anderton was a nut job.

 

[BertTrautmann'sParachute]

I wonder if them litte fella's that used to mind your car we're flogging bricks and petrol bombs to the rioters.

Cheeky ****.

I was right in the middle of it. I've got lots of stories which I won't be sharing. However, to answer the OP, there were two main reasons behind it. The first is that young people thought that their futures were being written off. The second reason people turned up was for the buzz.