1919 British race riots

A number of race riots occurred in Britain between January and August 1919, with sporadic recurrences in 1920 and 1921. ^[1] They marked a significant moment when the presence of minority ethnic people living in the country, including long-time residents and war veterans, came to public attention.

The demobilization of troops after World War I had led to intense post-war job competition. The perception that foreigners were taking away jobs became a trigger for the rioting and attacks on black and minority ethnic communities, especially in British port cities. ^[2]

In the ports of South Shields, ^[3] Glasgow, London's East End, Salford, Hull, Liverpool, Cardiff, Barry and Newport there were race riots targeting ethnic minority populations. ^[1] Over the course of the riots there were five fatalities, as well as widespread vandalism of property. ^[1] In January, thirty African sailors were chased through the streets of Glasgow by a crowd of hundreds. ^[4] During a week of rioting in Liverpool in June, 120 black workers were sacked in Liverpool after whites refused to work with them. ^[1] That same month, a mob of 200 or 300 white people chased black former sailor Charles Wotten to Liverpool's Queen's Dock and killed him there. ^[5]

A modern study of the 1919 riots by Jacqueline Jenkinson showed that police arrested nearly twice as many blacks (155) as whites (89). While most of the whites were convicted, nearly half of Black arrestees were acquitted. Jenkinson suggests that the courts acknowledged their innocence and were recognising and attempting to correct for police bias. ^[1]

References

1. Jenkinson, Jacqueline (2009). Black 1919: Riots, Racism and Resistance in Imperial Britain. Liverpool University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctt5vjd9g.10 . Retrieved 3 March 2025.
2. National Archives. "1919 race riots: How significant a factor was race in the riots of 1919?" . Retrieved July 2, 2023.
3. "BBC - Tyne Roots - Black History Month - The story behind Britain's first race riot". BBC. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
4. Williams, Craig (22 January 2019). "Remembering the 'Broomielaw Race Riot' of 1919 - one of Glasgow's ugliest days". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
5. Graham, Patrick (8 June 2023). "Sailor murdered in race riots finally gets memorial plaque". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 3 March 2025.

 This article incorporates text published under the British Open Government Licence : National Archives. "1919 race riots: How significant a factor was race in the riots of 1919?" . Retrieved July 2, 2023.