Riots in London have continued for a third night and they spread to new areas of the city and to other cities in what is seen as Britain's worst violence in decades. The rioting began on Saturday after hundreds of people held a protest over the killing of 29-year-old Mark Duggan by police in Tottenham, north London.
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| Hackney, east London [Luke MacGregor/Reuters] |
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| Hackney, east London [Kerim Okten/EPA] |
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| Hackney, east London [Luke MacGregor/Reuters] |
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| Hackney, east London [Olivia Harris/Reuters] |
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| Hackney, east London [Toby Melville/Reuters] |
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| Enfield, north London [Ki Price/AFP] |
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| Brixton, south London [Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters] |
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| Hackney, east London [Toby Melville/Reuters] |
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| Brixton, south London [Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters] |
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| Enfield, north London [Ki Price/AFP] |
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| Peckham, south London [Dylan Martinez/Reuters] |
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| Ealing, west London [Toby Melville/Reuters] |
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| Croydon, south London [Dylan Martinez/Reuters] |
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| Croydon, south London [Carl de Souza/AFP] |
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| Croydon, south London [Carl de Souza/AFP] |
My aunt got back from London last Thursday. I just talked to her: "Aunt Stella, wasn't something going on over there?" "No, what do you mean?" I guess it hadn't kicked off yet. With the direction the US is heading looking more and more dire with each turn of events, how long can it be before this comes to a US city? IMO, it needs to come... delaying that breaking point will only make it worse when it finally comes.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone tell, in the second photo from the top, what the guy is holding? It looks like a stuffed animal.
It's been going on for three days now. But to be honest I only knew of it last night so your aunty is right, it hadn't kicked off meaningfully yet. As for chances this taking off in the US, didn't something similar took place few decades back in LA? Could happen again.
ReplyDeleteAs for the "animal: I wondered too. It looks like a toy, a horsey of sorts.
Yes, it was 1991 or right around there. The police had been videotaped beating a black man. His name was Rodney King. What most people saw in the video was that the police beat him at their leisure - they were in no danger. Four cops went on trial. The trial was in Simi Valley, a white, reactionary suburb of LA. The jury saw something else and acquitted them. LA and black communities all over the US erupted in rage and basically shut done the country for several days.
ReplyDeleteFrance, Spain, Greece - rioting as a protest against global capitalism, accompanied by political slogans. UK, riots in favour of consumerism - target the sportswear shops and the electrical goods stores. This is truly the house that Thatcher built.
ReplyDeleteThe whole thing kicked off after the police shot and killed a young fellow, later claiming that they'd been shot at from the car he was in. This now turns out to be a lie. The killing was followed by a peaceful protest march to the local police station during which a copper struck a fourteen-year old girl over the head. That started the anti-police riots. The consumers saw their chance and took over.
Second thoughts - UK should be England. I maligned the Scots, WeIsh and Northern Irish. Also I think my reference to riots in Spain may be wrong, though there were demonstrations. I think Portugal saw trouble between protesters and cops.
ReplyDeletehttp://warincontext.org/2011/08/09/about-the-london-riots/
ReplyDeleteYes Jemmy, I was just watching a program about the riots and the backgrounds for it, the death of that youth and the beating of the teenager by the police.
ReplyDeleteAlso found this article, not sure if you've seen it:
OECD: UK has worse social mobility record than other developed countries
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/10/oecd-uk-worst-social-mobility