London Riots

[Shadie777]

This is not even about the guy who was shot, these idiots do not care about that. This is just a bunch of pricks that took advantage of a protest to loot and create havoc. Disgusting.

It seems the BBC has finally updated on this story.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14439970

 

[HooterNanny]

Godamn. At least the student riots were for a good cause (Although admittedly, that cause was somewhat lost with all the 'lets get violent' yobbos involved but still).

 

[BGH122]

Oof, that's not good. From what I've heard, numerous US police forces don't seem to have an independent complaints commission. Is that true?

The problem, as ever, isn't the weapons, it's ensuring that one's officers aren't corrupt/thuggish.

I've got no idea, I'm from Denmark
Don't know if it still stands, but at some point scandinavian police officers weren't able to get charged during certain 'ops', if I remember correctly

Oh! Interesting if true!

I don't know why I always assume that people from outside the UK are American. I guess Americans just proliferate throughout the internet.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

I firmly believe that riots (or any other forms of violent protest for that matter) are senseless and unnecessary. I'm all for having the large-scale movement of the people, just keep it peaceful. Nobody gains whens any officer (who is just doing his/her job and trying to keep the peace, mind you) should have to pay for a quarrel he/she had no prior involvement in. The same goes for protesters, why should a peaceful protester caught in the middle of the violent protesters and law enforcement become a casualty to something sparked by some reckless demonstrator? There are better, peaceful ways to get a point across the board instead of straining the relations between two rivaling groups any further.

 

[BGH122]

There are better, peaceful ways to get a point across the board instead of straining the relations between two rivaling groups any further.

A thoroughly well put post overall. Welcome to the Escapist, if you haven't already been welcomed!

I think the problem is that most of the people involved in these riots (and the new riots/public disorders/lootings that have sprung up across other black areas of London, or so I'm told) never had a legitimate grievance in the first place and were just a bunch of yobs who wanted to get into a fight.

We've got a huge problem in London, that no oxbridge educated politician is actually aware of, with a growing underclass of people who're, for want of a better word, amoral. People who genuinely don't care about society, genuinely don't even consider that their actions have consequences not only for themselves, but for others too and who generally don't understand concepts like 'personal responsibility' and just want to blame everyone else for everything they do. It's very problematic that the general approach of the last decade from the government has been one of excusing the bad behaviour of certain sections of society as failings of the police (be it in their failure to keep control with their inadequate support or failure to maintain positive relations with criminals).

It's all very well for us to say that certain behaviours aren't acceptable, but when not a single burglar nor knife-crime convict received the maximum sentence last year these words become resoundingly hollow.

 

[Bassik]

A lot of young kids are rioting... I allways wonder, when they get home, why doesn't their dear ol' mum smack them in the face? Mine would have killed me. Literally, I would have been murdered and stuffed in the basement if I ever pulled a prank like this.

 

[Adamd1990]

Ah, rioting because a gang member was killed by police. Why don't people care when it is the other way around? Just because some select police members are allowed to kill in only the most extreme and completely justifiable scenarios (such as when a gangsta is shooting at you and others around you, and if you don't put him down he will put others down - o look, same scenario...) doesn't mean when it does happen you're allowed to riot! If I ran the state I would've stopped the peaceful protest straight off the mark, as there was already an investigation initiated.

But hey ho, if you wanna have a good riot, you might as well pick something unjustifiable and throw shit on top of it, so it looks as though rioting, because a policeman killed someone who was trying to murder others, is in fact the only sensible option available, rather than...say...letting the police do their fucking job.

Funny world we live in. You'll never get a demonstration at a gang's hideout when a cop gets killed. Saying that, the last cop killer I remember was that Raul Moat guy, and he was branded a legend by us Brits in closed quarters. And more investigation went into how he got killed in the end than to go "Welp, doesn't exactly matter. He was a murderer, what's done is done."

 

[Shivarage]

Good gravy, riots are so stupid. Another great example of weak willed people losing control of themselves.

I think you have it backwards there... although riots are stupid, they at least prove they havn't completely submit to dominance from the elite classes

 

[Deathninja19]

Well, brits are bad at rioting, but contain with teargas and beanbag shotguns? Or you know, bigger cars

OK for one you've obviously never been to England or seen one of our towns or cities, are streets are so small you can barely fit an average sized car through some roads if there are parked cars. We couldn't have bigger cars if we wanted to (which we don't because our gas prices are so high).

Second we're great at rioting, we're just terrible at containing them. Part of the reason in this case is that the areas are sort of police no go areas due to the amount of violence is directed towards police on a daily basis. Shouldn't be like this but there's nothing you can do really.

 

[Deathninja19]

26 officers injured huh?

Oh that sweet sweet Schadenfreude. How I love thee so.

You are the worst kind of person. Seriously grow up.

 

[Renegade-pizza]

This isn't rioting, this is outright looting and vandalism. Send the dogs. Spray them with the hose and make them breathe teargas.

 

[teebeeohh]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/07/police-attack-london-burns

just for all those of who were going "olollololol a gang member got shot after opening fire"

 

[Eduku]

Riots now spread to Croydon (around where I am). Lovely. As of around 10 minutes ago, 100 youths in a stand off with police, throwing missiles and taunting officers.

 

[srm79]

Probably the usual chavs and hoodies that always seem to be involved with these things. Just find somewhere where they would never go, and hide there until it's over. The Job Centre ought to be a safe bet...

 

[Valksy]

Just a bunch of thieving bastards burning things and nicking stuff. Eventually, someone will give the order and the police will move in to stop them burning things/nicking stuff, some little bastard in a mask will get twatted in the head with a baton and end up in a coma and somehow it will all be the fault of the cops....

Civil unrest is important. The government should fear its people. But this isn't civil unrest - it is criminal bullshit and it achieves precisely fuck all.

 

[unindexedsearchengine]

now a riot eh? anyone noticing and increase in unfortunate events lately? the japanese earthquake/tsunami, then the Norwegian bombing/shooting, just to name a few. guess shit's getting serious