On 16 October 1993, an anti-racism march near

Welling Welling is a town in South East (London sub region), South East London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley, west of Bexleyheath, southeast of Woolwich and of Charing Cross. It was part of Kent prior to the creation of Greater London i ...

in South East London turned violent, leading to large-scale clashes between police and protesters which left around 70 people injured. The march was intending to demand the closure of a bookshop which was the headquarters of the

British National Party The British National Party (BNP) is a Far-right politics, far-right, British fascism, fascist list of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, and is led by Adam ...

(BNP).

Background

The BNP opened an office in a bookshop at 154 Upper Wickham Lane in Welling, South East London, in 1989, which served as the party's headquarters. The local area saw a sharp increase in the number of racist attacks in the years following the opening of the office, including the

murder of Stephen Lawrence Stephen Adrian Lawrence (13September 1974 – 22April 1993) was an 18-year-old black British citizen from Plumstead, southeast London, who was murdered in a racially motivated attack while waiting for a bus on Well Hall Road, Eltham, on the ...

in neighbouring

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three ...

in April 1993, which had caused opposition to the bookshop to intensify. In the same year, the BNP had its first local councillor elected, in the

London Borough of Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London boroughs, borough in London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans much of the traditional East End of London and ...

The march

On 16 October 1993, demonstrators gathered on Winn's Common in

Plumstead Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich. History Plumstead has been settled since ancient times, and London's earliest timber structure has been found here. ...

, South East London, for a demonstration co-ordinated by the Anti-Nazi League and Youth against Racism in Europe. Estimates for the number of demonstrators range from 15,000 to 45,000. They planned to march to the BNP bookshop in Welling to demand its closure, but the initial route passing directly past the property was blocked by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Paul Condon. The protesters left and headed towards

, via the main road that passed through

East Wickham East Wickham is a district in south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It is situated north of Welling, east of Shooter's Hill, south of Plumstead, south-west of Abbey Wood and west of West Heath, and east-southeast of ...

. The march started peacefully, but as the protesters approached the bookshop, the road was completely blocked by riot police. The

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

had set up a wide exclusion zone around the bookshop that began in at the bottom of the hill in East Wickham, just before the main road entered Welling. At this point a large police contingent of riot and mounted police tried to divert the march at an intersection with an adjourning road, away from the bookshop. Soon the protest escalated into violence, which led to large-scale clashes between the police and some of the protesters. During clashes lasting 90 minutes, police used truncheons and horseback charges, which was criticised as indiscriminate by organisers of the march. The march was eventually abandoned.

Aftermath

74 people were injured in the riots, including 12 police officers. The clashes were the most serious civil disorder in London since the poll tax riots in 1990. The Metropolitan Police spent £1 million and 7,000 officers to police the event. Many of the protesters were arrested and charged, including Duwayne Brooks, a friend of Stephen Lawrence who had been with him at the time of his murder. The case against Brooks was eventually dismissed by a judge. The bookshop in Welling was eventually closed down by Bexley Council in 1995.

External links

ITN news coverage of the event

References

{{Riots in England British National Party Protest marches in London 20th-century riots in London Welling riots Welling riots Welling riots

Political riots in the United Kingdom Welling riots Welling riots Anti-fascism in the United Kingdom