London has been a site of unrest for almost as long as it has been in existence. Given that its roots date all the way back to the first century as part of the Roman Empire, the causes of these issues range anywhere from farmland disputes and rising prices of alcohol to race wars and political anxieties stemming from the constant growth happening both internally and externally. That being said, when people think of riots, protests, and unrest, it is likely that they think of the war and violence that took place there primarily during the 20th century. When taking into consideration England's national identity, one of the main stereotypical characteristics that comes to mind is a fiery love of football, which leads us to make a connection between the two seemingly unrelated topics.

The tour begins at the Bobby Moore statue which proudly stands outside of the iconic Wembley Stadium and concludes in Trafalgar Square, a site known both for prosperity and protest. Looking at the relationship between football and violence brings into considerations a few topics that we hope to explore on this tour; that of a prominent drinking culture, police involvement and intervention, racial tensions, and the rivalries and imperialistic energies that emanate from tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup which can, in ways, bare a striking resemblance to the feuds that began during the World Wars.

Starting in the later parts of the 20th century, the term football hooliganism was coined to characterize and put a name to the mischievous, eventually turned aggressive and violent, behaviour that was brought on by the intense passion that fans had for their respective teams. It often became commonplace for matches to be interrupted in one way or another, usually without harm to either players or fans. However, as time passed, rivalries between teams progressed and the gangs, referred to as firms, that supported these teams became increasingly dedicated to the point of riots, protests and severe unrest.

On this tour, we will visit the following sites:

Bobby Moore Statue

The Corner House Pub

Aldi German Supermarket

Metropolitan Police Services

Manchester United London Office

Trafalgar Square

The goal of this tour is to explore the expansive past that England – in this case looking specifically at London – has had with football, not only as a pastime and source of entertainment, but as an outlet for violence and aggression toward fans and teams from within the English league as well as on a European and world-wide level.