Tweet
For three nights, there have been riots in London. The Guardian reports young looters are finding they have nothing to lose and little reason to obey the “social norms.” There is a consensus building up that the violence unfolding is a result of “social exclusion,” even systemic racism.
Here’s a collection of some the video coming from the scene:
There is one must read post circulating right now that should help anyone understand what is unfolding in London. Penny Red poignantly reacts to seeing her city burn:
Violence is rarely mindless. The politics of a burning building, a smashed-in shop or a young man shot by police may be obscured even to those who lit the rags or fired the gun, but the politics are there. Unquestionably there is far, far more to these riots than the death of Mark Duggan, whose shooting sparked off the unrest on Saturday, when two police cars were set alight after a five-hour vigil at Tottenham police station. A peaceful protest over the death of a man at police hands, in a community where locals have been given every reason to mistrust the forces of law and order, is one sort of political statement. Raiding shops for technology and trainers that cost ten times as much as the benefits you’re no longer entitled to is another. A co-ordinated, viral wave of civil unrest across the poorest boroughs of Britain, with young people coming from across the capital and the country to battle the police, is another.
I’m not the only one who sees this scene unfolding and sits here going, “London’s burning with boredom now/London’s burning dial 999.” So, here is a video that features some photos from Tottenham, one of the poorest areas of London where the riots are believed to have been started:
11 Comments
Those images are overwhelming. I read somewhere that when a young man was interviewed about the why of it. He said that 2000 had protested peacefully several weeks before and it wasn’t even reported in the papers.
I hope no one get hurt.
“when people have nothing to lose, they lose it”
gerald celente.
who btw predicted all this over a year ago.
this is just the beginning.
mass rioting will spread throughout the EU and will come to this country too.
remember this while you watch…rage..is building up in those police and sooner or later they will be told to unleash it.
The continued cluelessness of the british “ruling class” is pretty amazing. In the spring, Queen Elizabeth gave her “austerity” speech wearing a crown containing 22,000 diamonds and yet they still cannot connect the dots. They sowed the seeds but they don’t recognize the crop.
When the police and government are found to be in business for Murdoch, that creates a stability problem.
Murdoch must love the timing of the riots.
I wonder about the timing.
Can anyone tell me how to link a reply to someone else’s post? Damned if I can figure it out. This is a response to klynn @ 4:
Interestingly, I think the phone-hacking scandals have fed into these riots – people’s disgust at the revelations about crime victims and dead soldiers’ families being hacked by tabloid journalists and the related corruption in the Met Police has been talked about endlessly in the bars and clubs of some of the areas now going up in flames for weeks now. There really is more to these riots than the lines being trotted out by politicians on the mainstream news – “criminal opportunists”, “mindless thugs”, etc. Does anyone really believe the percentage of criminal youth is that large in London? – These are large-scale riots, not just a few gangs here and there.
Just click on “Reply” at the right-hand bottom of the comment of interest–which I just did for you!
Pardon the O/T, but an interesting article from Horton regarding what we might be seeing this fall–DOJ seeking “an American equivalent to Britain’s Official Secrets Act, which the Justice Department’s interpretation of the Espionage Act already resembles. If he does, the Obama Administration will reveal itself to be the most aggressive foe of whistleblowers in Washington’s history.”
Thank you. Aha! It worked.
That would make a great diary fatster!
BTW Hi!
Your comment should be turned into a diary.
The theme should focus on “what happens when you cannot trust those who have been tasked to protect the citizenry.” Corruption within those aspects of society tasked with “keeping order,” creates a cycle of violence.
Thanks for your comment. A post addressing your insights would reveal the perspective of what righteous anger standing against corruption looks like; and, will make for an important “counter” to the MSM and politicians.
Slight correction to my post – Liz II’s message was delivered in the spring of 2010, May 25th to be exact. The figure of 22,000 diamonds stands as originally reported.