Summarise, or just read out, this text for the group:
In August 2011 the media, police, politicians and ordinary citizens were shocked and horrified by five days of riots across several British cities. Businesses were hit hard; looters raided stores and some people lost their homes as the authorities struggled to restore law and order. TV footage recorded some of the worst civil unrest in recent history.
It has been reported that this series of events was started following a peaceful protest by the friends and family of a young black man, Mark Duggan, who was shot dead by police officers, in Tottenham, London. The protesters, friends and family of the victim, were asking police to tell them what had led up to the shooting and wanted their questions answered.However, peaceful protests are nothing new; they are part of a democratic society and have a long and respected history in the UK. Protesting by marching, picketing and campaigning can be very powerful and many modern day rights and freedoms were gained because of people taking to the streets. This includes things like the vote for women, the right to be a part of a trade union and campaigns for human rights. However, to exercise this right protesters do need to protest safely and peacefully and keep within the law.
Ask the group to divide into small groups and hand each group a set of the ‘Taking to the Streets’ cards – find here.
The task is to get into small groups and discuss each card and then rank them in order of what would make them ‘Most Likely to Take to the Streets’ to ‘Least Likely to Take to the Streets’.
Allow time for discussions and then invite groups to feedback their rankings, sharing the reasoning behind their decisions.
Discussion Questions
- Did you agree with your group?
- Would you change anything after hearing back from the other groups?
- How can we make change moving forward?
- how else can you make your voices heard? (e.g. through lobbying their Mp, writing to a company, choosing to buy or not buy certain products. Make a list of ideas for future activity plans!)
- Is there an issue everyone would take to the streets for?