Police out of Brixton

This leaflet was produced by the South London branch of Workers Against Racism in response to the Brixton uprising of April 1981. Workers against Racism was established in East London in 1979 by the Trotskysist Revolutionary Communist Party to take direct action and radical action against racist violence in the Brick Lane area. The South London branch emerged in April 1981 as a direct result of the Brixton uprising and initially provided legal advice and support to many of the 85 people arrested during the disturbances. This was one in a series of leaflets produced by Workers against Racism and the Revolutionary Communist Party to raise the profile of their campaign to end racist brutality by the Police and far-right groups including the National Front.
The Brixton uprising of 10th-13th April 1981 was caused by a number of local social and economic factors and growing tensions between the Black community and the Metropolitan Police, particularly with regard to their enforcement of the stop and search (’sus’) law. This law enabled the police to stop anyone they deemed acting suspiciously, essentially enabling racial profiling. Another local factor adding to the tension was the inadequate police investigation of the New Cross Fire in January 1981 that had resulted in the death of 13 black youths. The three day uprising resulted in injuries to both police and members of the public and damage to buildings and vehicles many of which were destroyed.