Cardiff Ely Bread Riots

The Cardiff Ely Bread Riots or Petrol Riots refer to the outbreak of racially motivated violence that occurred in the council suburb of Ely in the Welsh capital of Cardiff during September 1991.

Supposed* rising racial tensions on the estate of Ely came to a head reported to have been initiated by a dispute between two shopkeepers, one white and one Asian, who had started to sell bread and put the other out of business. (*Many locals believe that this was just a spark for a more significant problem of social exclusion resulting from unemployment & crime ). The riots were centered on the top shops in Wilson Road, Ely, Cardiff. They began on 2 September and lasted until 6 September.

Police forces, riot squads and fire services from all across the Vale of Glamorgan were called in the keep the outbreak at bay. The event made the UK news headlines for two days running which only helped to fuel the outbreak of violence. For many residents of Ely, the disorder was only experienced via the news as it only affected a restricted area of the district.

The shops involved in the incident have since been demolished.