Recession Could Spark Riots And Civil Disorder, Minister Warns [UK]
Dail Mail (UK) ^ | April 29, 2009
Recession could spark riots and civil disorder, minister warns


By JAMES CHAPMAN 30th April 2009


Riots could threaten society as a result of the economic downturn, a  
Government minister has warned.


Unrest may spill on to the streets with cars and buildings set alight  
amid 'naked competition for jobs', unless urgent action is taken to  
tackle the effects of recession, Hazel Blears said.


The Communities Secretary explained how riots in Brixton and  
Birmingham in the Eighties and Nineties showed the power of recession  
to 'fracture community spirit'.


Warning from the past: Britain could see a repeat of the 1981 Brixton  
riots, above


Already, several senior Labour MPs, including the former welfare  
minister Frank Field, have warned that the recession raises the  
prospect of unrest. But Miss Blears is the first Cabinet minister to  
reinforce the message publicly.


'Economic recession has the power to do one of two things to a  
society,' she told Community Service Volunteers last night.


'It can either drive people apart, with an increase in distrust  
between individuals, more naked competition for jobs, and a  
fracturing of community spirit.


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