Sneer

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.

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Sneer

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

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LoathsomePete

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.

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Sneer

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.

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The Monkey

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?)

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EvilChuck

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.

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Sneer

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.

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Unknown Soldier

What you`ve described here could be descriptive of any major world city. I`d say London was as safe a city to live in, as any other comparable city in the first world. The "Broken Britain" tag has been going on for donkey`s years now and I remember it when I was a kid, it just had a different name then. the only difference now, is that the scumbag press really do know how to feed off the fears and paranoia of the general populace.

As for the riots, those over tuition fees did have a sense of genuine anger behind them but I didn`t agree with those riots either, but these current riots are inexcusable and its just senseless and wanton destruction carried out by scumbugs and morons who just want to loot and cause mayhem, the death of the said man was just a an excuse to kick the whole thing off!!!

Strangely enough, I was watching a docu last night about rioting in Paris, which has a far worse history of rioting than London. I use the Paris example as its the only other European city that is comparable to London in terms of size, population, prestige and a similiar diverse ethnic mix.

I`d say as far as big cities go we have it quite good in London and I`ve seen a lot of the big cities in Europe and the World.

FRED HALE SR.

The Brits need to learn how to riot. this is how you do it.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc..._kpFtQ&cad=rja

Unknown Soldier

Well the Yanks tend to do everything bigger and better