London riots

[bigbadwolf]

Anyone here based in London? My mother's house in Hanwell -- which is where I stay when in London -- is a couple of miles away from Ealing Broadway, where there was rioting this night as described in The Guardian:

Basically, everything started at 10pm. The youngsters gathered by the main road. They were trying to get into the shopping centre, but there were shutters on all the doors.

Really mobile groups were came here. Then the main riot started on this street – New Broadway.

I was watching from the other side of the road as they started setting alight the fires. The worst was the fire above the Budgens. We saw fights, as the main crowd spread. A few people the mob didn't like, they beat up.

One person had a slashed hand. I heard it was done with a knife. I am a builder, and I used planks of wood, whatever I could find in the house, to put over the windows and door of my friend's bar.

They rioters got into the wine bar. A few bottles were smashed. The tills were smashed. The shop owner had to escape through the back door.

Surreal is a good word I think for this. Hollywood does not know what can happen in real life.

And (to my mind) an insightful blog article:

Tonight in London, social order and the rule of law have broken down entirely. The city has been brought to a standstill; it is not safe to go out onto the streets, and where I am in Holloway, the violence is coming closer. As I write, the looting and arson attacks have spread to at least fifty different areas across the UK, including dozens in London, and communities are now turning on each other, with the Guardian reporting on rival gangs forming battle lines.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

And all this time reading the off-topic here for past few weeks, I thought USA society is going down the drain. Now just look across the pond and see what happens there.
First, phone hacking, and now uncontrollable riots. What seriously is happening there?

 

[bigbadwolf]

What seriously is happening there?

The big British cities -- all multicultural -- are becoming ungovernable. Mobs can be dangerous and violent beasts. I don't know what it will take to get things under control.

 

[rishab dhar]

Civil war about to start in western world; it looks very similar to what happened in Europe when people hit the streets to demand democracy; however, as it turns out, democracy is just a fad; it is no different than communism ( people were thrashed in some district in India, because they were protesting against the government, and we thought it can happen only in China!). The leaders have found a new way to rule the people, resulting is massive rot of the societies. A change is needed, and it will happen; the people, at least in Europe and Asia, are fed up.

 

[DominiConnor]

The big British cities -- all multicultural -- are becoming ungovernable.

That's laughably false, go look at the helicopter coverage, yes fires and things thrown but the police will just turn up at their houses and arrest them. It will rumble on for a couple of days then go away.

One thing that hasn't made the US media is that no government building has come under attack and the attacks on the police are mostly on the order of buring police cars that they were foolish enough to leave unattended.

What has been attacked are electronics shops, big time, plus shops selling alcohol, etc and its not exactly coincidence that bigbadwolf talks about an attack on a place that has lots of alcohol and cash in it. That's not political, that's robbery.

The Metropolitan police aren't the best in the world at dealing with riots, partly because they don't get all that much practice, and partly because UK politicians of all parties don't like foreign methods of dealing with trouble, like water cannon on actually shooting people, and partly because frankly they just ain't that smart.

London has been multicultural since the Romans, it goes wobbly every so often, the police over react or do something really dumb and it takes a bit of pushing and shoving to calm it all down.

rishab is also entirely wrong.
In countries with crap governments (China, anywhere run by Moslems, Africa, etc) people riot for change.

A mark of a civilized country is that riots are mostly against change. Greeks riot at the thought that they will have to work for a living, Brits because they won't get so many goodies from the government, trade unions in many countries riot to "defend" working conditions and pay, the French being the best example of this, but are far from unique.

 

[daleholborow]

Just curious Dom, why the preference for the alternative spelling of Muslim? I noticed you use this version exclusively, but I can't find any historic or cultural significance for the difference?

 

[bigbadwolf]

What has been attacked are electronics shops, big time, plus shops selling alcohol, etc and its not exactly coincidence that bigbadwolf talks about an attack on a place that has lots of alcohol and cash in it. That's not political, that's robbery.

Yes, of course it's not political (except in the very vague sense of there being resentment against the London Met and general inchoate resentment at bleak job conditions, austerity programs, and discrimination). The majority of what's happening is mob mentality run riot plus the usual opportunistic robbing and looting. Let's just say these things tend not to happen when the country is purring along smoothly.

London has been multicultural since the Romans, it goes wobbly every so often, the police over react or do something really dumb and it takes a bit of pushing and shoving to calm it all down.

When I said "multicultural" what I wanted to say is just about all video footage I've seen shows blacks. And it started in areas with a heavy black poulation like Tottenham (which had race riots about a quarter of a century back) and moving (discontinuosly) to areas like Brixton.

Anyway, foreigners can see an England different to the fairy-tale world portayed in the wedding of William and Kate.

 

[Abdel]

This proves my point on a previous thread.

Legal immigration is good (because it is somewhat selective and you don't end up bringing in goons)

Illegal immigration and fake refugees gives you the current result in the UK, US and Canada (yes Canada, we had those fake haitian refugees rioting 2 years ago in Montreal).

 

[Abdel]

And all this time reading the off-topic here for past few weeks, I thought USA society is going down the drain. Now just look across the pond and see what happens there.
First, phone hacking, and now uncontrollable riots. What seriously is happening there?

Now don't get too excited Andy, we're going up the food chain.

Your time will come, lol

 

[bigbadwolf]

The Met is saying they'll use plastic bullets tonight if necessary. I grieve for much that will be lost in the character of London and the methods of policing as these marauding and lawless multicultural elements run riot. The Sikhs in Southall were out yesterday night to prevent an attack on their temple and the Guardian reports that Turkish and Kurdish shopkeepers were out in force to protect Dalston. It is heartening to see communities acting to forestall this menace.

Cameron, Sarkozy, Merkel, and Sarrazin have been right in calling multiculturalism a dismal failure.

 

[Andy D.]

I've got friends over in London so been getting an update on things.
Pretty bad to be honest and the behavior is disgraceful. Time to take the kid gloves off.

I do worry though what the political fall-out will be from this.

 

[D C]

there are always riots in London, why is this so different? riots happen every May 1st, I saw it when I lived there. riots happen in Paris anytime a politician sneezes...I don't see how "multiculturalism" has anything to do with it.

Now if we were talking LA riots in South Central...that's a different story...

 

[bigbadwolf]

Pretty bad to be honest and the behavior is disgraceful. Time to take the kid gloves off.

It's interesting the way these things start. In this case -- as in prior cases -- it was heavy-handed policing. That ignites it. But the "it" that gets ignited is smoldering resentment against the status quo, which is just looking for a way to coalesce and assume tangible form. Then this becomes a mob mentality which engages in looting and arson.

 

[bob]

It sounds terrible. No doubt we here in the US could show the world a thing or two about rioting, given how heavily armed we are by and large, but with the NFL lockout ended and the new season of American Idol coming up, I'm not sure we can really squeeze it in.

Next year, maybe.

 

[bansalmohit]

Does anyone see the banks slowly moving out of london given the economic and political situation? Do you think they will move towards Germany or France if the movement is towards Europe?

 

[bigbadwolf]

Does anyone see the banks slowly moving out of london given the economic and political situation? Do you think they will move towards Germany or France if the movement is towards Europe?

No, not for this reason. Dominic is correct -- this will subside. And perhaps I should qualify my earlier statement: with current policing, London and maybe one or two other multiculti cities (Birmingham? Manchester?) will become difficult to govern. I expect policing methods to become more severe, more punitive. The ratio of the British population behind bars is much lower than the US level. Maybe it will go up.

 

[bansalmohit]

Its not only for this reason. They have been wanting to go out since long, last year they had talks with government about taxes and all. This i think will add up to the frustration to get out of London.

 

[bigbadwolf]

There's a rumor that Libya has recognised the British rebels and will soon impose a no-fly zone over the UK.

 

[amanda.jayne]

Amazon UK aluminum baseball bat sales rise by over 6000%

http://money.cnn.com/2011/08/09/technology/amazon_riot/

"This bat is perfectly weighted and will suit any UK shop-owner looking to protect their property," reviewer Harry Fish wrote about the suddenly popular Rucanor bat. "Thanks to the ergonomic handle, one easy swing should be enough to shatter patellas, skulls or any other bone on your targeted looter."

 

[MSFHQ]

It's interesting the way these things start. In this case -- as in prior cases -- it was heavy-handed policing. That ignites it. But the "it" that gets ignited is smoldering resentment against the status quo, which is just looking for a way to coalesce and assume tangible form. Then this becomes a mob mentality which engages in looting and arson.

Not disagreeing, but the the cops shot a suspected drug dealer and gang member. The family came out and said he was unarmed, but didn't deny the gang or drug mentions.

Soooooo

Cops kill a criminal and people riot. This is about mob mentality, theft, criminal behavior and pure animalistic behavior. And the police as so weak it is pathetic. These criminals are destroying peoples shops, their lively hood.

Take off the gloves, break out the dogs and put this riot down.