Crowd Behaviour and Public Order: Reflections on the 2024 Riots and Violence

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Speakers

Dr. Saiqa Naz

Dr. Naz is a renowned Clinical Psychologist and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) specialist, celebrated for her commitment to mental health equity and psychological therapies professions. She is also a former president of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). Dr. Naz featured regularly on prominent media outlets such as Sky News, ITV News, BBC Radio and others while addressing key mental health issues like racism, social housing, and the need for mental health regulation. She offered resources and support through the Twitter account of Neville Southall an ex-goalkeeper for Everton FC and Wales.

She equally sits on the editorial boards of The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist (tCBT) and Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies Journals. She has contributed to numerous publications and presented at international conferences. She also co-authored a key guide, to support clinicians in implementing best practices for ethnic minority communities commissioned by NHS England. For her contributions, Dr. Naz received the BABCP Engagement and Involvement Award for outstanding contribution to the field of public engagement. Dr. Saiqa Naz currently focuses on leading the effort in mental health through her clinical practice, research, and activism to bridge gap between CBT and diverse groups including men.

1. Title: Islamophobia and riots- navigating the personal and professional

In July 2024, the country saw racist riots unfold in different parts of the country. Mental health services and organisations shared statements condemning the violence and Islamophobia as the attacks were aimed at asylum seekers and muslims.

What lacked in the national conversations was the exploration of trauma responses to racism and Islamophobia in the context of the riots and violence. Using learning and reflections from this time, this presentation will look at how we can navigate our personal and professional identities during times of crisis. This can provide insights into how we then support psychological therapies professionals and communities who are directly affected. The presentation will also look at how such situations can be averted in the future

Dr Mathis Ebbinghaus, University of Oxford

Dr Mathis Ebbinghaus is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Department of Sociology of the University of Oxford, and a Junior Research Fellow in Sociology at Trinity College, Oxford. He received his DPhil in Sociology from Nuffield College in 2023. Mathis is fascinated by extraordinary social action and processes of social change. His recent research on social movements is published in journals such as Social Forces, Theory and Society and Social Problems.

2. Title: Defying Public Order: Lessons from Black Lives Matter Mobilization

Protests are a central mechanism through which ordinary people can challenge public order, yet their causes, tactics, and political effectiveness remain subjects of ongoing debate. Drawing on the case of Black Lives Matter, this talk examines three interrelated dimensions of protest movements: the proximate drivers of mobilization, the justification of rioting as a movement tactic, and the policy outcomes of protests. Through the voices of activists, the talk explores first the reasons behind their protest participation and how disruptive tactics are framed and understood, before presenting statistical evidence on whether a prominent demand of the Black Lives Matter movement was realized: "defund the police." These insights from the largest protest movement in United States history offer broader lessons for understanding the possibilities and challenges of crowd behaviour in reshaping politics and culture.

Professor Clifford Stott & Dr Mike Hope, Keele University

Professor Clifford Stott, MBE, is a globally recognized expert in crowd psychology, specializing in the dynamics of riots, protest movements, and public order policing. He holds a Professorship in Social Psychology at Keele University and honorary positions at Ohio State University and University College London. A co-developer of the Elaborated Social Identity Model (ESIM), Stott's research has revolutionized the understanding of crowd behavior, particularly in conflict settings. Stott's work has had a profound impact internationally, advising governments, police forces, and organizations like UEFA on public order management for major events. He has spearheaded reforms in evidence-based policing, contributing to innovative crowd policing models adopted globally. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stott co-chaired the Security and Policing sub-group of the UK Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). He continues to shape policing reforms through his membership on the UK National Police Chiefs' Science Advisory Council, as well as his contributions to interdisciplinary research. Stott's expertise lies in translating cutting-edge social psychology into practical solutions that improve public safety, shaping policy at the highest levels.

Mike Hope is currently the operational lead for ENABLE UK at Keele University, a research project which works collaboratively with police forces and other stakeholders to develop an evidence-based approach to the policing of football events. He is a former police Inspector with 23 years' experience in a variety of operational roles including those of firearms and public order command. He worked as a football 'spotter' for 16 seasons, deploying to over 20 UK forces and also has 20 years operational public order experience. His PhD research focused on police professionalisation and use of evidence-based practice.

3. Title: Understanding the Social Psychological Dynamics of Crowd Violence

Professor Clifford Stott & Dr Mike Hope, Keele University

This presentation will examine the social psychological dynamics of crowd violence, demonstrating how the social identity approach helps explain the structured and patterned nature of riots both within and across events. Using case studies from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and the August 2011 UK riots, it will explore how violence spreads between locations and how interactions between police, protesters, and other groups shape events. A central focus will be on how policing influences events, showing that the spread of violence can be driven by identity-based perceptions of police legitimacy and group empowerment, rather than irrational aggression. The discussion will also address the challenges of distinguishing legitimate protest from violent confrontation, emphasizing the complexity of crowd composition. The presentation will underscore how the identity-based dynamics of power and legitimacy in police-crowd interactions are central to understanding and managing crowd events in ways that minimize 'disorder'. It will emphasize the need for proportionate, dialogue-led policing strategies that engage with crowd dynamics to prevent escalation. The session will conclude by posing critical questions about the August 2024 xenophobic riots, particularly how and why violence spread, setting up Dr Mike Hope's subsequent analysis of the policing response to these events.

4. An Analysis of the Policing Response to the UK Riots, August 2024

Dr Mike Hope & Professor Clifford Stott , Keele University

Building upon the theoretical framework and case study insights from the previous presentation, this session will examine the policing response to the August 2024 riots in Tamworth, Stoke-on-Trent, Bristol, and Plymouth. The study draws upon interviews with operational police officers and commanders, as well as arrest data, to provide an in-depth analysis of the events, the groups involved, and the challenges faced by law enforcement. The presentation will explore how policing strategies interacted with the evolution of these disturbances. While each location had its own distinct characteristics, several common themes emerged, furthering our understanding of why these events were so challenging. A key issue was the difficulty police encountered in developing effective dialogue strategies with protest groups, leading to intelligence gaps that undermined both planning and real-time decision-making. The session will also explore how police forces struggled to adapt to the fluid nature of the riots, particularly in differentiating between legitimate protesters and

those engaged in opportunistic violence. This created further operational and strategic challenges, exposing gaps in police preparedness and response coordination across different regions. The presentation will conclude by reflecting on the lessons learned from these events, emphasizing the need for new engagement strategies that address underlying structural and historical tensions. It will argue that incorporating intelligence-led dialogue-based approaches into operational planning and post-event responses would strengthen law enforcement's ability to prevent future disturbances and foster long-term community stability.

Want to speak to one of the team? Contact us at [email protected] 

Programme

Want to speak to one of the team? Contact us at [email protected]