Apparently someone was shot by police the other day and that acted as a trigger. Now the anarchists and looters have taken over.
You should have been listening to AM. They had a few expat journalists and radio/TV presenters giving their first hand impressions.
One caller to Deb Cameron (702 Sydney after AM) said some police were claiming if they intervened they would be accused of racism because of the difference in ethnic mix between the rioters and police. His reliability may be questionable, but on AM they were saying the trouble was mainly in poorer areas with large immigrant populations.
Used to live in Clapham. It was bad 20yrs ago. Looks like it's gone worse now. Regardless of intitial motive this is just now plain mob looting. They have a big problem. It's starting in other cities too. Very scary situation.
I wouldn't call it multiculturalism, only on surface it may appear to be so to some, but when you look just a bit deeper - it is social problems.. un-employment, bad education, lack of direction in the future, elitism (rich versus poor).... + internet (facebook and such ).
People don't do those things when they are busy and well integrated in the society and not hungry. In most cases, you can safely blame government for the long-term effects of short term policies.
Used to live in Clapham. It was bad 20yrs ago. Looks like it's gone worse now. Regardless of intitial motive this is just now plain mob looting. They have a big problem. It's starting in other cities too. Very scary situation.
aye, I stayed with my cousin in Clapham Junction, next to the railway station for a few weeks nearly 20yrs ago. The underlying tension then was volatile. Now it's just exploded.
This isn't demonstrations, this in Anarchy in the UK. Some are using the social networks to organise the attacks, and the rest are just following, like sheep.
I have astro buddies over there, living within sight of the fires and smoke. I truly fear for their safety.
There's an underlying program that uses social networking for organising the riots to effect looting strategy.
As one post in a UK forum put it - spot the white man.
It's mainly Afro Caribean and the guy shot in the initial incident was European, although he had some mixed blood by the photo.
He was also armed with a handgun and threatened a plod.
He was 'known to the police' and was a criminal thug
aye, I stayed with my cousin in Clapham Junction, next to the railway station for a few weeks nearly 20yrs ago. The underlying tension then was volatile. Now it's just exploded.
This isn't demonstrations, this in Anarchy in the UK. Some are using the social networks to organise the attacks, and the rest are just following, like sheep.
I have astro buddies over there, living within sight of the fires and smoke. I truly fear for their safety.
Small world. I used to live in the appartment blocks right next to the station too in Clapham Junction in 1990. Could see the station from my window.You didn't want to go out after 8:00pm though. Bad idea.
When watching some of the news it just seems ridiculous how the mob can push the riot police back so easily... Why don't they just shoot at their legs? Or use rubber bullets, tasers, water cannons etc.? Sure the police may be outnumbered, but a little brute force would do wonders I think!
I wouldn't call it multiculturalism, only on surface it may appear to be so to some, but when you look just a bit deeper - it is social problems.. un-employment, bad education, lack of direction in the future, elitism (rich versus poor).... + internet (facebook and such ).
People don't do those things when they are busy and well integrated in the society and not hungry. In most cases, you can safely blame government for the long-term effects of short term policies.
Pretty much spot on. It isn't pretty, it isn't right, it's just built up anger and blind rage. Blind freddy could see it coming - not the time and place but that there will be economic riots. The quote below is from the ABC site; seem to sum it up:
My brother is in Hackney. We just spoke to him on the phone and he's ok. He's locked himself inside his flat as there are rioters outside his building. He heard an argument t his front door earlier. A group a black youths confronted a white guy and said "you look wealthy. We aren't putting up with this anymore. We have nothing. You have no idea what it's like." my brother said it looks like a war zone.
Used to live in Clapham. It was bad 20yrs ago. Looks like it's gone worse now. Regardless of intitial motive this is just now plain mob looting. They have a big problem. It's starting in other cities too. Very scary situation.
Clapham!
Clapham is an island of civility. I lived in Clapham for 3 years (don't know why).
Try Hackney or Tottenham - they're scary!
Police racism (perceived or actual), unemployment, crappy neighbourhoods, youthful hormones and a sense of being marginalised all contribute to the breakdown of good order.
Plus.
Londoners love a good riot.
Particularly at this time of year when all the students are on holiday and not much is happening. It's very entertaining telly and insurance pretty much takes care of the rest.
True, there is hard-core of professional agitators that travel around stirring it up. But without willing accomplices, it wouldn't go anywhere.
Rioting and civil disobediance have a long and proud history in England.
It is a country where those with privelage and entitlement have done what they eanted for millenia, and that has only really changed in the last 50 years.
My Grandfather took part in the anti-blackshirt riots at Marble-Arch in 1928 and I have a newspaper cipping of him being dragged off to prison kicking and punching all the way!!
I got into a real knock-down fight with a overzelous copper at the pole-tax riots (he was busy beating a visibly pregnant women who had got lost and bumped into him).
I certainly don't condone looting or arson, but a good riot is just another tradition.
When watching some of the news it just seems ridiculous how the mob can push the riot police back so easily... Why don't they just shoot at their legs? Or use rubber bullets, tasers, water cannons etc.? Sure the police may be outnumbered, but a little brute force would do wonders I think!
At the moment they are dealing with 100s of rioters. I've seen footage of blacks condeming other black for the looting. What happens if they start shooting people? Do those 100s go home or do 1000s join them on the street? I can't judge from here but I'd be very worried that police shootings could just stoke the flames - literally.
BTW anyone else feeling like deja vue all over again.
Yep they need to hose them down with water cannon, and cool them off a bit, and who cares what bloody color they are, they are all in it together, so suffer the consequences together, even animals don't act like some humans, very sad.
Small world isn't it? I was just looking at some of the videos on the ABC site and came across an interview with Van Badham who has lived in London for 10 years. I remember her from when she was an undergrad at UoW. She was in a completely different area but had a pretty high profile. I think she was involved in media and perhaps student politics. She is/was a playwrite and I heard of her in that regard after she left uni. The last time I saw her she was walking through the bar in a clown suit as part of some SRC activity. Anyway, she made a lot of sense in the interview.
Small world. I used to live in the appartment blocks right next to the station too in Clapham Junction in 1990. Could see the station from my window.You didn't want to go out after 8:00pm though. Bad idea.
Yep, that's the place.
With the high brick wall with broken glass cemented to the top so no one can climb over. I think it may have had barbed wire too .
What I most remember was the older men, gathering outside the nearby shop to play dominoes. They'd slam the tiles down with a CLACK that could be heard upstairs in the apartment.
OH, and the Concords flying overhead. Boy oh boy.
Small world indeed.
and cool them off a bit, and who cares what bloody color they are, they are all in it together, so suffer the consequences together, 
