Nottingham Race Riots (1958)

Sat Aug 23, 1958

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Image: A black youth being restrained by police during the Nottingham Riots, 1958 [blackpast.org]

On this day in 1958, a race riot began in Nottingham, England after a West Indian man was seen chatting with a blonde woman in a pub, causing the racially mixed community to erupt in hours of violence which sent eight to the hospital.

The area had seen increased West Indian and Asian migration, leading to an increased and racialized competition for available jobs. As the post-World War II economic boom in Nottingham began to subside, anti-immigrant sentiment increased.

Eyewitness accounts on the exact trigger of the violence differ, but nearly all cite a West Indian man being seen enjoying a drink with a blonde British woman. The young man was assaulted, and soon a crowd of over 1,000 had gathered in the area.

The racial violence lasted for many hours, with white attackers being identified as “Teddy Boys”. Eight people were taken to the hospital, with one man requiring 37 stitches following a wound to the throat.

Despite the racial character of the violence, government officials downplayed any role racism could have played in the incident. Chief Constable Athelstan Popkess dismissed claims that the rioting was caused by prejudice at the time, and a 1989 report from the Nottingham Constabulary blamed the violence on generic hooliganism.