Best quote from a London Rioter...

[Javaman]

Londoner when asked by a television reporter: Is rioting the correct way to express your discontent?

"Yes," said the young man. "You wouldn't be talking to me now if we didn't riot, would you?"

The TV reporter from Britain's ITV had no response. So the young man pressed his advantage. "Two months ago we marched to Scotland Yard, more than 2,000 of us, all blacks, and it was peaceful and calm and you know what? Not a word in the press. Last night a bit of rioting and looting and look around you."

Eavesdropping from among the onlookers, I looked around. A dozen TV crews and newspaper reporters interviewing the young men everywhere.

http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/08/07/7292281-the-sad-truth-behind-london-riot

_____________

Just a thought on edit: could what is happening in England be an extension of what is happening in the middle east? A jobless, hungry population that is tired of getting no representation and no help from their government?

[HipChick]

1. Will the government pay attention to the social issues underlying the anger?

The answer is no...and they haven't in 30yrs...

[Little Star]

2. Sad to say but the young man was right. k&r

[dipsydoodle]

8. If he was right

you can bet your life that someone over here would've covered it and yet there is no trace whatsoever. This may be because the figure mentioned of 2000 is a gross exaggeration.

edit - could've been this one : http://www.black-history-month.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=328:smiley-culture-march-for-human-rights-and-justice-for-all&catid=52:uk-news&Itemid=78 but no numbers mentioned there.

[eShirl]

13. no trace whatsoever? are you even looking at all?

[dipsydoodle]

15. Fine

You search same as I did and see what you come with. There's lots of media here in the UK outside of the mainstream which would've reported it. A march of 200 wouldn't have gone unnoticed.

[suffragette]

25. Looks like he was correct

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/04/18/reflections-from-the-march-on-new-scotland-yard/

Reflections from the march on New Scotland Yard

* By Jody McIntyre

* Monday, 18 April 2011 at 1:49 pm

There are huge positives to take from the Smiley Culture demonstration on Saturday. An under-represented section of society took to the streets to demand freedom, justice and an end to police brutality. Two and a half thousand people, over-whelming Afro-Carribbean, of all ages, marched with pride, determination and joy in their hearts. No arrests were made; the people were organised, united and refusing to be silent.

During the rally outside New Scotland Yard, Merlin Emmanuel made the essential point – this is only the beginning. So, where do we go from here? We must build on the momentum of the Smiley Culture case not to ask, but to demand justice for every victim of police brutality.



I added the bold.

And yes, I found it because someone covered it, but there does not appear to have been widespread coverage, as your difficulty in searching for it aptly demonstrated.

[mucifer]

3. on the bbc website article on this says it all about looting and violence

It gives no explanation other than that for what is going on as far as I can see from the main article.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14442935

tell me if I"m missing something.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Subsequent events were so.

I have a feeling that those arrested will face more than simple charges of breach of the peace.

Two basic and then off to Helmand might be an appropriate penalty for some of them.

[malaise]

7. The cops shot an unarmed man and then had the media

suggest that he fired first.
The collusion between Murdoch, other media, the police and the government has reached frightening levels. Corruption is rife.

[War Horse]

26. I'd like to know hear more about that

the "unarmed" part. Not saying you are wrong or right in any way. Honest request.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Just a thought....

Dismiss it. No comparisons whatsoever.

[malaise]

6. I warned everyone that it would be a very hot summer

across the globe - it's only just begun. People will not sit back and allow rights they and their grandparents fought and died for snatched out of their hands by international capitalists and freeloading scumbag politicians.
The corruption between the media, police and government in Britain is public knowledge. The shit has hit the fan!!!

[chrisa]

9. And he appears to be under the impression that this press is a good thing.

Is bad press really better than no press at all?

[no_hypocrisy]

10. Actually London reminds me of the Newark Riots of 1967

This unrest came to a head when two white Newark policemen, John DeSimone and Vito Pontrelli, arrested a black cabdriver, John Weerd Smith, for improperly passing them on 15th Avenue. Smith was taken to the 4th Police Precinct, which was across the street from Hayes Homes, a large public housing project. Residents of Hayes Homes saw an incapacitated Smith being dragged into the precinct, and a rumor was started that he had been killed while in police custody. Smith had been moved to a local hospital.

This set off six days of riots, looting, violence, and destruction — ultimately leaving 26 people dead, 725 people injured, and close to 1,500 arrested. Property damage exceeded $10 million.

----

In the period leading up to the riots, several factors led local African-American residents to feel powerless and disenfranchised. In particular, many felt they had been largely excluded from meaningful political representation and often suffered police brutality. Furthermore, unemployment, poverty, and concerns about low-quality housing contributed to the tinder-box.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Newark_riots

[malaise]

11. Labour will keep up the pressure on the link between the rioting and public sector cuts:

at 2.04pm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/08/london-riots-tottenham-duggan-blog

[CarmanK]

12. You forgot EDUCATED and discontent with their govt performance!

thomas Jefferson said,EDUCATION is the key to sustaining a democracy. And more insightful and relevant the global claim that: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." (as cited in Padover, 1939, p. 89)

[Bandit]

14. And people here put down Code Pink because of their antics...

If you want and need attention to your cause you need to do something to get that attention.. Amazing how many here don't seem to understand that basic fact...:shrug:

[Odin2005]

16. He has a point.

[reggie the dog]

17. i was actually happy to see these riots

i imagine that the torries insist that there is no link to the austerity program

[lebkuchen]

18. The riots make me nervous for the U.S.

especially now that the gun-owning Teashitters have been empowered, in addition to the US RW media nuts praising the attacks on children in Norway.

[muriel_volestrangler]

24. I just can't see that large scale destruction of local businesses can be welcome

unless you're a hardcore anarchistic 'back to nature' type. These aren't demonstrations; in many ways, they make the 1980s riots look articulate and focussed (at least those were people who said they were occupying their area). The only message these people are sending is "we can trash and loot lots of places". They wander around, then when they find an area without police close by, start breaking in, and looting and burning.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Yes, I think we are seeing tipping ponts

and it will move here sooner or later.

[HipChick]

21. Americans seem to be passive...

or content to just blow off steam on blogs..rather than actually do anything..

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. Wisconsin points to something

even if you are right about the Turner Theory of blogging.

[swilton]

29. October 6, 2011

OPEN LETTER: THE U.S. OCTOBER 2011 MOVEMENT STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH OUR GLOBAL ALLIES
Inspired by the courageous, nonviolent uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Greece, Spain, and elsewhere, people in the United States have come together to form the October2011 Movement. This fusion of peace, social justice, environmental, student, and immigrant rights organizations is in solidarity with all who seek a peaceful, just, and sustainable future and stands ready to engage in its own campaign of nonviolent resistance beginning in Washington, D.C., this October.

http://october2011.org/welcome

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1235538

[Zax2me]

20. Said the man with a blue ray player tucked under each arm...

The looting took over this protest before the protest had a chance to start.

[HipChick]

23. Lots of stuff going to be falling off the back of a lorry..

[WildEyedLiberal]

27. "Jobless, hungry" people who are burning locally owned businesses, homes, and vehicles?

Yeah, those poor oppressed looters. Fuck those clowns. I feel sorry for the people who live in those neighborhoods, which are predominantly working class - ie, the people who can't afford to replace their car that these hooligans torched, or the inventory from their store that was looted and destroyed.

Fuck "radical" anarchy.

[FarLeftFist]

28. 15 riots in England since 1958, 11 of them under conservative leadership

only 4 under Labour.