The ‘2011 UK Riots’ had started from London after the Police had shot dead a local man (Mark Duggan) on 4th August. There was an immediate uproar within many communities, which was never properly addressed at the time, and this led to the riots starting in Tottenham on August 6. 

This protest quickly spread throughout the country and continued until August 11th, with various copycat incidents occurring. This was a clear reflection of a disconnect within society – after the 2008 economic crash, billions were being spent on bailing out the bankers who had caused this crisis. Britain has still not recovered from this financial crisis, with recent riots taking place over July/August 2024, with now rioters blaming Ethnic Minorities, who are referred to as “Migrants”, for Britain’s continued economic downfall, not certain politicians like Liz Truss (previous Prime Minister). The financial policy introduced by her had increased mortgages across the board.

The immediate effect of the 2011 riots was the arrest of 3,000 individuals, with more than 1,620 being issued with a criminal charge for various riot-related offences. London suffered the most, with 3,443 crimes across the regions, with five subsequent deaths and 16 injured. At the time, it was estimated that the damage to property and businesses would be around £200 million due to class or racial tension. Many people aired their frustrations at the authorities through these riots.

This wasn’t an ideal backdrop for the London 2012 Olympic Games, one of the world’s most significant sporting events, especially with its “Multicultural” branding. The £9 billion from public funds, combined with £2 billion from private funds, resulted in an estimated overall cost of £11 billion. The fact that 70,000 tickets had already been sold and Britain was fully committed to rebranding itself from its previous “Middle England” image to “Multicultural Britain” was a highly significant development. There was a need for a grass-root approach to cool the temperature.

The EMMA TV Show, since 1997, has helped define our modern Britain over several years by promoting Multicultural Britain. This contributed to Britain winning the Olympic Bid in 2005, as the country was finally representing the communities based on their talent and character rather than by race, religion, or colour, thereby rejecting notions of Far-Right tribalism. EMMA worked hard to dispel the previous “Ghettoised” image that was directed at Ethnic Minorities who lived in urban areas and did the work that many native Britons didn’t want to do and were underpaid.

Poor wages and job opportunities, alongside continued discrimination, reinforced not only racial and class divisions but also a class divide among English people. It was our campaign to do the EMMA TV Show in the heart of the ‘Creative’ establishment, to remind the “Creative Industries” that its content should and has come from many cultural backgrounds that finally got a Middle-Class media person to work in this industry, known as a Luvy to promote more social cohesion.

Not only did EMMA help define the term ‘Creative Industry’ on a global scale, but also the term ‘Multiculturalism’ as a concept for an inclusive community, one based not on tolerance but on genuine acceptance. It was the old colonial mentality that created the Ghettos, forming a divide, towards us and them. It sadly persists even now through ‘Far Right’ politics. There was a need to hold a ‘Social Cohesion Conference’ during the 2011 Riots. Because any further economic downfall would lead to increased racism in the wider community. The scapegoating of ‘Ethnic Minorities’ is commonplace amongst certain groups, as was displayed during the 2024 riots.  

EMMA has a distinct historical standing in promoting Multiculturalism; EMMA had managed to organise a social cohesion conference in a short timeframe to tackle the riots taking place. This conference was held at the University of London (School of Oriental and African Studies). The distinguished speakers EMMA managed to attract were as follows: Tony Benn (Ex-Minister); Darcus Howe, (Channel 4 Presenter); Alan Yentob, (BBC Creative Director); Keith Vaz MP, (Chairman Home Affairs Select Committee); Wayne Garvie, (ex-BBC Head of Worldwide); Simon Hughes MP, (Deputy Leader of Liberal Party); Professor Paul Rogers, (Environmental Conflict, University of Bradford); Lord Hastings, (KPMG, Diversity); Nirj Deva (MEP, Overseas Development); Henry Bonsu, (Broadcaster); with the conference chaired by Rageh Omaar (ITN) and Bobby A Syed (EMMA Founder) – full day sessions took place with Ambassadors in attendance. The sessions were recorded and can be viewed below, with the endorsement of then-Prime Minister David Cameron. The Conservative Government had realised that initiatives like EMMA were important for Social Cohesion. Sadly, lessons of the past haven’t been learnt; hence, the 2024 riots. The EMMA Time4Peace concert will help to promote UK social cohesion.   

This is important when considering from the 30th of July to the 7th of August 2024, an estimated 29 anti-immigration demonstrations and riots took place across 27 towns and cities in the UK. This led to extreme violence due to Far-Right supporters attacking mosques and hotels housing many asylum seekers. These riots were an excuse by the Far-Right to attack Ethnic Minorities, as they were blamed for a mass stabbing of girls at a dance party in Southport on the 29th of July in which three children were killed. The riots were fuelled by false claims circulated by Far-Right groups that the perpetrator of the attack was a Muslim and an asylum seeker, in addition to broader Islamophobic, racist, and anti-immigration sentiments. The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) had confirmed that, as of August 30, 2024, 1,280 people had been arrested immediately for their involvement, with 796 people subsequently charged. They also said that the police had “identified hundreds more suspects in connection with the disorder”, suggesting further arrests and charges would follow. The risk of any future riots and violence remains ever-present due to the growing UK recession. This is the reason why ‘Time4Peace’ was formed to encourage all parties towards peace so that race and religion aren’t used to promote conflict.