22nd March 2002
Alderney arrest sparks a “riot”
An arrest on Alderney sparked the first riot anyone could remember.
Reporting the disturbance a couple of days later, The Times said the arrest was merely the spark that ignited something far bigger. To understand the real reasons you’d need to look back to the Second World War. Alderney had been evacuated, and when the residents returned to find many homes almost derelict, many blamed Guernsey residents for looting them.
Guernsey was put in charge of policing Alderney and, says the Times, “lingering animosity and the fact that Alderney people have no right of residence in Guernsey have deterred them from joining the police ever since”.
So, when an Alderney man suspected of drink-driving was arrested by two Guernsey policemen, up to 30 people tried to free him. Some described their support as a riot.
Local support
The Scotsman reported that “He tried to run away, urged on by his friends, but the officers held him and in the tussle that followed, one allegedly hit him with a baton. They then followed the officers to the nearby police station, 200 yards away.”
The police called in reinforcements, both from Guernsey (which didn’t arrive until the morning), the resident local police and the fire brigade. A fight broke out and several people were injured.
The Telegraph wrote that in the hour-long fight, which began at 1am, “the mob pelted the police station with stones and other missiles and one of the island’s four policemen used CS spray”
Six more locals were arrested, and the Alderney States warned that if convicted they could expect a custodial sentence.
A riot, or just a disturbance?
A reporter from The Guardian visited Alderney to report on the aftermath and found that, on the whole, the locals believed it had been blown up to more than it actually was. Some described it as a “melee”, and some said the police were “heavy-handed” and “over-reacted”.
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Other events that occured in March
Occupying forces mount a desperate raid on Granville
- German forces raid an Allied supply dump in the French town of Granville and brought prisoners of war back to the Channel Islands.
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First ever broadcast of Puffin’s Pla(i)ce
- Puffin's Pla(i)ce was a children's slot on Channel Television
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Guernsey votes for equal age of consent
- Guernsey politicians were unanimous in their support of an equal age of consent when they voted on the issue in March 2010.
- Read more…
Isle of Guernsey delivered to its new owners
- The paddle steamer, which served Guernsey and Southampton, later served as a hospital ship during the Second World War.
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