I'm in Hackney (Haggerston to be precise). Nothing happening right here, though I did see a gang of men in there 20's heading in the direction of Hackney Central possibly looking for trouble, shouting 'us against them' and something else. Also been looking on the internet and it looks like it might be more widespread than they are saying on the news: apparently there were quite a few shops smashed and looted in Dalston last night. According to one report my local tesco (just round the corner but I haven't been past it)
While looking for info I found this which cheered me up (warning, rude!): http://youtu.be/pP_-otRwWSg
Comments
murdoch would have a field day!
I would say things have gone way, way beyond a family unhappy with alleged police brutality and is now all about opportunistic chavs giving in to mob mentality.
A more serious post....
In Tottenham there's 50 people going for every job, at the same time as the government is constantly going on about how they are going to crack down on the unemployed, what they are going to force anyone who doesn't get a job to do, etc
Funding for organisations such as youth centres has been cut by around 75%
Many people currently studying are looking at having to give up courses due to cuts in funding.
We are going into a recession, food prices are rising: tightening belts for everyone, for some that means real hardship.
Earlier tonight I had a gang of men in their 20s go past my flat shouting. One thing I heard was 'It's us against them'. I'm not sure they were on their way to join the riots, but I suspect it.
Yep, this rioting is just plain stupid and pointless. But this government seems to be doing it's best to create a climate of 'us and them' where 'them' is blamed for everything. Is it really surprising if the 'them' hits back?
Send for Michael Heseltine...
There's been' them and us' of some description for centuries. This has got nothing to do with cuts and don't kid yourself that it wouldn't have happened under a Labour government.
This is about lousy parenting and falling standards in a society that has been going too soft for far too long.
Get the army in and give the idiots something to really complain about.
Sorry, I'm usually quite a calm individual, but tonight I'm very, very angry for the hard working, law abiding people in these areas who are having their homes and businesses destroyed.
Too many dickheads who think impregnating a woman and then walking away to let her bring up a child on her own makes them a Real Man...
...and that being a "gangsta" makes them cool.
Bringing up your kids right and doing the right thing is hard but that's what you should be doing you tossers!
The rioters in Tottenham and Hackney will have better weaponry!
Its a shame that a lawful protest on Saturday got took over by scumbags .
+1 for what Saffy said.
This has NOTHING to do with poverty, cuts, or disenfranchised youth... there is no excuse for the mindless destruction of your neighbours' homes and businesses and your own community ammeneties.
It's not for the Army to open fire on their own citizens. Isn't that what we are always saying to Libya, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Tunisia, Egypt etc .....
I'm not comparing the twunts looting etc with genuine protesters, but this is a job for the Police. And if this is a taste of how demoralised and out numbered the Police are now, I'd hate to see what will happen next summer when the cuts really start to bite for them.
I didn't mean live amunition and I don't think you can compare thugs rioting and looting for the sake of it with what's going on in the countries you mentioned.
I think the principle stands. Send the Army out and the guns will come out on both sides and then we really will have carnage.
Plus what are the Army supposed to do? They are trained in a very different type of fighting and containment.
Any mention of Marshal Law and I'll be out protesting the withdrawal of my freedom because of the act of a minority of thugs.
Found the stuff from Ken. I think he's talking a lot of sense.
http://youtu.be/lTugksv-_Mk
Martial Law.
No-one is asking for a police state or for this country to be like Syria or China. What we're asking for is for the police to restore order and prevent these scrotes from burning respectable people out of their homes and livelihoods.