UK Riots
 

So, I was almost caught up in this earlier today so I thought I'd post about it. We've been having a number of riots over the past few days. I'm sure those in the UK have seen it on the news. For those that haven't:


That is London, (the capital where the riots have been primarily focused =p.) Hundreds of arrests - many police officers injured.

It started off with peaceful protects in Tottenham over the weekend, following the shooting of a person who'd (apparently) shot a police officer and been ventilated in return. These then evolved into riots - the following couple of days its been spreading.

Hackney and Lewisham today. Houses being set on fire. Pictures of rioting from helicopters, lots of thick black smoke.... Peckham, skirmishes in west Croydon... Brixton.

The media is doing their usual wonderful job of fanning the flames. Anyone who wants a bit of fun will stick the news on and head down the highstreet to join in.

Sutton's joined in, even White Chapel for god's sake. - White Chapel's only spiting distance away from the City proper. The financial heart of the Capital.

Spread up as far as Birmingham in some limited sense now.

It's sheer madness - there's no reason behind it at this point - just something that seems to have been picked up on as an excuse to go out and smash things, steal things and generally be unpleasant.

I have a feeling they're going to start calling people in if it keeps going on, you can't keep sticking the same people on the street day after day.

The BBC have a live feed here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14449675

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There's a distinct disconnect with people - - nothing to hope for, no prospect of a job. Why wouldn't they riot? What do they have to be afraid of? What stake in society do they have?

Re: UK Riots
 

Are those areas particularly poor or home to migrants? Because the background sounds a bit like the Paris riots a couple of years ago.

Fun fact: as we Germans tend to do everything by the book we have our destructive riots scheduled: the riff-raff usually meets on the first of May in Berlin for rioting.

Re: UK Riots
 

Maybe they should create their own jobs instead of thinking somebody owes them one.

How'd you do that then? Where'd you get funding to make your own jobs? People do not have an education that would tell them how to set things like that up, nor do they have one that encourages them to do so.

Fuck, I don't have a job - how do I make one? Perhaps I should ask the magical fairy for some job making dust.

Everything's owned - ideas, ground, goods. The market seems fairly full.

I'm better off than most people - I could get a job easily if I wanted one. But I don't know how you'd put your plan into action from where I am - let alone where these people are. People aren't educated to believe in themselves, they're educated to be workers.

Most of the areas it's started off in are fairly run down. It's getting into the richer areas as time goes on.

Heh. German efficiency.

Re: UK Riots
 

Meanwhile the riots in Birmingham are taking place in the heart of the city and seem primarily motivated by the presence of JD Sports outlets and Orange shops.

Re: UK Riots
 

Efficient, but usually also apolitical. Lenin supposedly said "A revolution in Germany? That is never going to work. If Germans wanted to storm a train station they'd still buy platform tickets".

Re: UK Riots
 

:lulz:

Germans make me laugh (I speak German, and lived there for awhile; so you guys are like my second nationality)
quick off topic: I went to a German middle school here in The States, and we never, EVER, EVER had school the day after Oktober Fest. Was always a fun way to get some laughs and make fun of the teachers.

Anyways, back on topic.

Those pictures are mindboggeling. It sounded like riots are taking place in other cities also. Have they all originated in the poorer neighborhoods?

Re: UK Riots
 

While this is fairly violent it seems that the rioters themselves don't have a conscious political motive. Obviously there are fairly deep social problems at work here but I doubt if you could get one in front of a camera you'd get much more than vapid thuggery.

People with cameras seem to be being attacked - reporters have been advised not to film stuff. Some residents have been advised to evacuate. Police are incredibly outnumbered.

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News of some rioters carrying bleach around. Nice fellas. Get some of that in your eyes and you're screwed.

They do seem to be coming from the poorer neighbourhoods and then spreading out. Yes.

There's a map of the main riots here:
London riots: all incidents mapped in Tottenham, Brixton, Hackney, Lewisham and Greater London - Telegraph

It's not like the 80s riots though - where it was contained to relatively deprived areas. These are breaking out with a fairly wide spread as things go on. I'd imagine the media coverage and the better communications tech your average person has access to has a lot to do with that. You can phone your friends, stick it up on Twitter - flash groups that COULDN'T form effectively in the past are suddenly viable. As much as anything else police riot tactics are based around containing the spread of information - the feeling if you will - of a riot. And that's just not viable anymore - not with things like this.

Re: UK Riots
 

Step 1: Burn all current businesses to the ground.
Step 2: Take over.

Re: UK Riots
 

They are helping to make jobs. The police and fire fighters have been particularly busy, and some of the cops that got injured will need to have replacements while they heal. The building that were burned are on some good property so someone is going to want another building on it. They will employ people to build the building.

The rioters won't get jobs, but other people who need them will get some work.