Thoughts on rioting.

It’s not mindless, those who rioted in Tottenham weren’t just bashing shit up for fun, they were *angry* because the police killed yet another and didn’t think to inform his parents until 9 hours later. 333 people have died in police custody in the past 11 years and there’s not been a successful conviction in any of these cases.

If you take a bunch of young people and advertise at them constantly for things they can’t afford, they might feel a bit miffed. Those that want to work can’t (there are 58 unemployed in Tottenham for every 1 job offered), many are suffering benefits cuts, 75% of youth services in Haringey are gone, shops are closing and benefits offices are becoming harder to get money out of.

600 people are responsible for the riots. 600 people’s inaction. 600 people ignoring even their own advice (Nick Clegg, last year, predicted riots if cuts happened).

There’s a difference between riots and looting. If the police were hanging about to make sure shops were secure, then there’d have been less looting. There seems to be an odd public perception of rioters running up to shops, bashing them a bit, popping a telly under their arm and then setting fire to them, then running up to the next shop and doing the same thing. This isn’t what was happening. Police are behind the rioters, chasing them. Constantly playing catch up. Media is for the most part behind the police, because it’s safer there. This is also where the looters are. Cue many photos of people running off with tellies under their arms. These people are looters and not rioters.

People blaming labour, people blaming the tories, you’re both at fault. Under your watch, the rich have become obscenely rich (the top 1% own 90% of everything) and the poor much much poorer (1 in 2 children in Tottenham live in poverty) We are not a third world country, cutting funds for social programs is going to lead to anger, crime and riots.

People don’t riot because they are bored, contrary to popular belief. They riot because they feel they have no other option.

This “senseless” violence appears to be targeting commercial outlets.

There’s an awfully large amount of people on the internet who seem to think damage to property deserves death. I am very glad I am not one of them.

Tower Hamlets is safe. Not seen a single report that I was able to verify of anything happening here. Must be all those Muslim terrorists, eh?

A bunch of Turkish people got out there and defended their community. Why on earth were they the only ones? Are our communities that broken?

The riots have masked a whole chunk of bad news for the UK. The markets are crashing again and we have nothing left to sell to get out of this mess. The riots will be blamed for the downturn in spending on the highstreet, just like the snow was in December. But it won’t be the truth.

www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/from-the-archive-blog/2011/aug/08/anger-tottenham-broadwater-riots-1985 - slightly familiar.

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/08/context-london-riots - Don’t take the riots out of context.

Meh. People aren’t happy. Those rioting aren’t likely those going to the ballot box to vote for either labour or conservative. Most reports I’ve read state this is mostly about a hatred of the police. “The Feds” as they’re now known.