Review
'A brilliant documentation, analysis and commentary on the recent wave of popular protests - their aims, methods and effects - and how the state has responded to these challenges to its power and authority.'
- Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner
'In Riot City, Clive Bloom offers the first in-depth study of the student protests of 2010 and the summer riots of 2011, revealing how these different forms of unrest emerged from very different senses of entitlement. His insightful, thoughtful and balanced reading of these disturbances should be required reading for activists, policymakers and academics alike.'
- Dr Edward Vallance, Roehampton University
'Riot City is a fluent, well-researched and compelling account of the 2011 riots in English cities and the student demonstrations the year before. Sharp, articulate analysis and a thoughtful account of the national mood and social conditions in the capital put the story into context. Bloom has done an excellent job in giving us a lively, blow-by-blow account of those tumultuous days while keeping a balanced and factual tone throughout. A book that shows authority and clear historical understanding, this must surely be the definitive account from an author who is already an expert in the field. '
- Michael Binyon, Leader Writer for The Times
'There is another London, hiding behind the Olympics, the Jubilee, the palaces and stadiums - the London of riot and rebellion. Clive Bloom takes us on a breathtaking tour of the politics of disorder, showing what happens, and why, when the battle for progress turns violent'
- Danny Kruger, former speechwriter to David Cameron
'Clive Bloom discusses the riots of 2011 with a remarkable range of tools: historical perspective, political engagement, humour and an ability to synthesise a range of different viewpoints. The result is the best single analysis to date of what happened last August.'
- Aditya Chakrabortty, Economics leader writer and columnist, The Guardian
- Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner
'In Riot City, Clive Bloom offers the first in-depth study of the student protests of 2010 and the summer riots of 2011, revealing how these different forms of unrest emerged from very different senses of entitlement. His insightful, thoughtful and balanced reading of these disturbances should be required reading for activists, policymakers and academics alike.'
- Dr Edward Vallance, Roehampton University
'Riot City is a fluent, well-researched and compelling account of the 2011 riots in English cities and the student demonstrations the year before. Sharp, articulate analysis and a thoughtful account of the national mood and social conditions in the capital put the story into context. Bloom has done an excellent job in giving us a lively, blow-by-blow account of those tumultuous days while keeping a balanced and factual tone throughout. A book that shows authority and clear historical understanding, this must surely be the definitive account from an author who is already an expert in the field. '
- Michael Binyon, Leader Writer for The Times
'There is another London, hiding behind the Olympics, the Jubilee, the palaces and stadiums - the London of riot and rebellion. Clive Bloom takes us on a breathtaking tour of the politics of disorder, showing what happens, and why, when the battle for progress turns violent'
- Danny Kruger, former speechwriter to David Cameron
'Clive Bloom discusses the riots of 2011 with a remarkable range of tools: historical perspective, political engagement, humour and an ability to synthesise a range of different viewpoints. The result is the best single analysis to date of what happened last August.'
- Aditya Chakrabortty, Economics leader writer and columnist, The Guardian
Product Description
Since 2000, London has seen unprecedented levels of unrest. Its streets have become the battleground for a host of new demands and new ideological standpoints; its occupants, protesters and authority alike, have had to invent new tactics to cope with the pressure of street politics and advances in social media.
Riot City deals in detail with the story behind the capital's unrest from the perspective of protesters, police and government. Using a range of sources, from security briefings to reportage, Clive Bloom provides an analysis of the modern protest movement, placing it in the context of a long history of rebellion. From the student protests to the August riots, Bloom deftly draws parallels between London's shocking events and reveals, more disturbingly, how many lessons can still be learned from our riotous past.
Riot City deals in detail with the story behind the capital's unrest from the perspective of protesters, police and government. Using a range of sources, from security briefings to reportage, Clive Bloom provides an analysis of the modern protest movement, placing it in the context of a long history of rebellion. From the student protests to the August riots, Bloom deftly draws parallels between London's shocking events and reveals, more disturbingly, how many lessons can still be learned from our riotous past.
