Wednesday, August 10, 2011 
The unrest in England began in London's Tottenham district on August 6, 2011 following a demonstration organized to protest the police shooting of a local resident two days earlier. While the demonstration was initially peaceful, violence broke out following an altercation between protesters and police officers and disturbances have spread to other parts of London. While these events were initially relatively localized, taking place in economically disadvantaged areas of London, they became widespread throughout the city, primarily in north and south London, and other cities where unemployment is high and tensions with the police force are elevated.

Last night, there were approximately 16,000 police officers on the streets in London as the government moved to take control of the situation. Prime Minister Cameron today announced that the police have been granted additional powers, like the use of water cannons and rubber bullets, to control large crowds if necessary. Police in the U.K. do not typically carry guns, which are generally authorized only for specially-trained members of the force.

IFSA-Butler's commitment to the safety of our students continues to be our top priority. Our London staff have been in contact with all students currently studying in and outside London, reminding them of safety precautions and encouraging them to contact our staff if they have any questions or concerns. Today our staff report that last night was relatively quiet in London and that the visible police presence seems to be helping the city return to normal.

IFSA-Butler is confident that the situation will not impact the orientations for our fall and academic year students. We will send further information to student groups whose host universities are based in any city where violence has occurred.

For more information:

BBC
CNN

Monday, August 8, 2011
Parts of London are experiencing riots following a police shooting on Thursday. The riots have spread to several neighborhoods around the city, primarily in north London.

Most of our summer program students have already returned home, and the majority of our England programs do not begin until September. However, we do have some small programs beginning next week, so we are making preparations to ensure the safety of these arriving students, as well as the few summer students who are still in London.

At this point the rioting has occurred in areas of the city where our students do not live or study. We are also confident that police will take control of this situation soon. However, we intend to take the following security precautions to ensure the safety of our students:

1. Our London office distributes an emergency email and emergency phone number to all of our students at orientation. We instruct our students to use these contact numbers or emails at any time of day should they feel unsafe.
2. We will investigate alternate orientation hotel possibilities for semester students, just in case we determine that the locations previously chosen are not safe.
3. Our London office warns all students to avoid areas with rioting and to avoid all protests and demonstrations.
4. We will adjust our orientation social activities as needed to avoid any areas with rioting.
5. For those few summer students who are still in London, our office has advised them to remain in their dorm rooms for the evening, even though they are not near any areas with rioting.

For more information:

BBC
CNN
International Herald Tribune