About the UK riots:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/08/context-london-riots
I'm so glad Nina Power writes.
At 8 pm EDSFT in the US, the BBC Worldnews has just reported rioting in Liverpool.
And just now, looting in Ealing, and Camden in uproar, huge fires in Croydon, a vacant police station in northwest Birmingham is afire. There is just too much happening to keep up with. The Guardian website has an interactive map detailing the sites of riots.
9 pm my time. Bristol, Liverpool and Birmingham are now reported as in crisis too. My gods what is happening. And a huge fire in Essex.
MYSTERIOUS GARDEN
10 months ago
Posts
12 comments:
Good morning, Laura,
Listening to the news reports this morning, something didn't appear to be quite right. The police appeared to be 'allowing' the kids to loot and burn! There were reports by shop keepers saying that they were desperately calling the police for assistance, and the police not appearing for 3 hours! This is decidedly weird and not at all usual police action in this country...
Also, Sky News gave Teressa May (home secretary) a seriously hard drilling in an interview this morning - normally they can't get far enough up tory backsides!
Annie - You hit the nail on the head - something is wrong with the policing - clearly wrong. In Britain we have a tendency to 'Kettle and bash heads' when things get tough - none of that is happening (which from a protester point of view is good - but from someone needing help it's not so good).
Something is very wrong with the way we are policing this - and it's not by accident.
Rory
I've had the BBC on all night and that's just what the people in the riots are saying on air. No police to be seen. What are they testing for?
And did you guys see this?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2011/aug/09/london-riots-violence-looting-live
I thought this was one of the best reads amidst the hysteria of mainstream media reporting...
http://pennyred.blogspot.com/2011/08/panic-on-streets-of-london.html
Rory
Laura I've been glued to the BBC live feed of the riots and will be so again tonight (after I've had a wee sleep). I suspect the 'standing off' was to allow maximum damage to be done - why? Well the Prime Minister I suspect will now be able to justify some of the most Draconian legislation the nation has ever seen. This will be presented as a means of ending rioting - but its real purpose will be to subdue any protesting against his budget cuts when they start biting hard. I hope I'm being cynical, but it's the only line of logic I can pull out the perceived responses of the Police.
Rory
Oh and this:
"The day of the wimping is gone. We've got to be very very hard," says a business owner who's lost the family biz to fire.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14450248
Creating a public outcry for more Fascism anyone?
Wow, Rory, that's a helluva piece of writing. Thanks.
Holy hell! BBC from the street: people chanting "London needs Jesus!" and a woman says a guy claiming he's a Socialist is the one going around stirring everyone up.
And right now the BBC is doing a log and in depth piece on a Christian bible instructor. Strange choice.
I hate to say it but I have to agree with you, Rory. Earlier this morning the BBC had footage of a guy explaining how he watched young people loot shops with police officers watching on. He said that you could actually observe the kids realizing there wasn't going to be any intervention and so more joined in! Strangely, later on, they ran the same footage but with his comments of the police inaction cut!
Boris Johnstone (London Mayor) being interviewed on BBC this afternoon...
Boris: I know there were questions about policing..."
Local resident: "There was no-one. There was no police. Where were they?"
Also people shouting at him to resign...
And tonight the Guardian reports that the public is okay with the cops but ain't liking Cameron.
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