London riots
 

BBC News - London riots: Looting and violence continues

What an absolute joke. These riots began a couple of months ago with protests against the rise in tuition fees, and they've just continued since with increasing violence.

The original impetus for this activity was completely baseless in the first place, and now these groups are seemingly just rioting for the sake of it. The police shooting of a man (who was actually carrying a gun) has been identified by many as a reason, whilst others say it's a reaction to government policies or the work of anarchist groups.

Regardless, it is pathetic. This mindless violence is tarnishing London's image, with the Olympic games just a year away. It has cultivated a sense of fear in those living within the city, and continues to cause major inconvenience for those just trying to go about their day.

This isn't fucking Paris '68, these people do not know how good they have it in this country when compared to some of the nations in Africa and the Middle East. Absolutely moronic.

Also, can a mod whack this in the politics/current events/philosophy thread, I didn't think.

As a citizen of a city that just recently had a riot over some completely idiotic bullshit I sympathize with your frustration. This definitely seems like a riot that has less to do with bringing social injustices into light and more about trying loot as much as you can before the cops get things under control.

Yup, just a bunch of bored scum bags wanting to cause chaos. That's what makes it so unnerving, the fact that it's just mindless violence with no real agenda.

I think the protests after the rise in tuition fees were perfectly legitimate, but I can't really speak for these recent protests (are they even connected?)

Tarnishing London's image? Apart from the postcard locations this city has been a shíthole for years, and everyone who has lived or does live there knows it. The fact is nothing seems to be getting done to improve it, if anything its getting worse with cuts everywhere. There are no jobs for these people, the alternative (further education) is out of their financial reach, the youth centres where they would have been able to go to do something productive with their time are being closed down. And with it being the summer there are simply a larger number of bored people around.

I'm not going to deny that alot of these people are rioting just because there are riots, but to say this has no agenda is pretty naive (no offence intended). There is alot of frustration at the current situation of life in urban London, anger towards those in charge that its like this, and I daresay fear for the future because these people see nothing but violence around them, with no end in sight - and I dont even mean the riots, I'm talking about the once weekly stabbings that seem to occur.

That's an exaggerated statement. I live in London, and I don't think it's a shithole. it has its rough areas like everywhere else, but it isn't this dystopia you seem to be describing. In fact it's experienced diminished crime rates across the board in recent years, to the point where it is actually one of the safest major cities in Europe.

Anyway, what I meant by image is the one it has around the world. London is seen as one of the greatest cities in the world, bringing in tourists by the bucket load year after year. With all this taking place, what must people around the world thinking?

And of course you're going to get a bloody stabbing a week, it's a huge city, these things happen everywhere, in every major city around the world. Papers like the Mail print absolute garbage like 'Broken Britain', and it's massively sensationalist.

Everything you've said seems to be excusing these riots. There is no excuse for it. We aren't living in some tyrannical dictatorship. Increased unemployment has been felt worldwide, London is no worse than the like of New York, Paris etc. Vandalising, looting and burning down shops/buses/cars and attacking the police is totally gratuitous.

Anyway, for everyone else, it's become a whole lot worse this evening. Areas all across London are now subject to this bullshit. It's reached the town next to me and there is a HUGE fire. We're seriously considering just getting the fuck out of here.

They've gone to Birmingham now. Ironically I'm safe in the most dangerous part of the entire UK right now, but I can't help but wory for my friends and family there. My nan lives in the main area being targeted by rioters.

It's just pathetic, totally infuriated by the whole pointlessness of it all. A furniture shop in Croydon that has been there for over 70 years, randomly burnt to the ground. That's a family business that's now been left with nothing, because apparently people are just 'bored' and disenchanted with life in London.

We've been told to just lock our windows and doors, we're not allowed to leave because it's 'too dangerous'. Buses and trains have stopped running so people are pretty much stranded in areas overrun with hooded little rats. It's gotten way out of hand and there aren't enough metropolitan police to deal with the problem, so they're having to call reinforcements in from Surrey and Sussex.

I heard it's reached Birmingham and Leeds, that's worrying.

What I'm saying may sound exaggerated to those outside of the trouble, but depressingly it isn't.

I'm not trying to justify the riots at all, just trying to point out the frustrations and feelings that would lead people to start behaving like this. Its attention seeking and of course the people who are setting fire to residential buildings are doing the cause no favours whatsoever. There are better methods of raising awareness of how people and their community feel, I havent said otherwise.

But I dont think we should just dismiss the entire situation as just being mindless thuggery, when there were legitimate reasons that led us to this point in time. People do want the opportunities to give themselves a better life, rather than be stuck in the situations they find themselves in, but due to the recession and all of the governments cuts thos opportunities are now severely lacking, and again I'm saying there is an element of fear for the future behind the origins of these riots.

Sadly I think most of the people who care about those reasons arent going to be listened to now because the rioters have basically proved the stereotypes right, that inner city youth in London are all just braindead thugs who are looking to start trouble at every turn.