So yeah my town has been put on riot alert. Police in town, and they've told shops to close etc. I did hear that they'd also cancelled trains but from southeastern it doesn't appear so. It's hitting Birmingham and Manchester badly now though. Someone on my Facebook said that they won't use the army because we don't want to turn into Northern Ireland, and that they won't use water canon because it's too localised.
I think they're avoiding using the army because they're afraid it'll make the rioting worse and exacerbate the situation. Having said that, they have to do something... All David Cameron said in his speech was how ruddy-awful these wipper-snapper criminals are and how it won't be tolerated. He hasn't considered what needs to be looked at to ensure people don't lash out like this again. He's just...Urgh. He lives in his silly little toff-boy bubble and ignores the reasons behind all of this. Not that there's any excuse for it, mind.
I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that this is really happening. =( I agree with Ash. Cameron has to do something!
There has been 500+ arrests, and 16,000 police officers on the streets of London, and while I'm not there I get the impression things are starting to calm down.
I get that feeling too. The thing is if Cameron had come home the first time it happened, it might not have escalated.
My city is on fire. I can see flames in the Northern Quarter - the artistic area of town. This is way beyond statement. It is being conducted for fun by a delinquent youth.
Gotta drive through it all to go home. If the car is still there. The majority of the 2000 crowd are 16 and less. Where are the parents?
There were originally suggestions that it was just black people rioting, but that was largely due to the local demographics of where it all started. Most of the media are now taking care to correct that, and to make it clear that it's all races. BTW, "Black" is the generally accepted politically correct term in the UK. well, we could hardly call them African-American, could we?
Hope you have a safe journey, Gannon. I can only imagine what it must be like for all the people directly affected.
I'm in Kent too (although also in Greater London, because North Kent is like that) and it has spread here. A nearby shopping park was hit, and even though my local high street was pretty quiet this evening when I went up to get some veg, it's still getting some blatant shoplifting by kids who know that there's no chance of the stores getting the police out to them.
Can I also just state my view that the police on the ground are doing a brilliant job given the constraints they are under (i.e. not being able to use much force against violence and lack of numbers, etc.) and they should be commended for putting themselves at risk to try and bring order back to our streets.
God. My few page old offer still stands. Anyone who wants to sleep in a ruined castle, and wake up to a lovely scene come to Northumberland.
The trouble is, every pundit is giving their own explanation of why the riots are happening (to suit their own agendas), all of the explanations are contradictory, and most of them are right. I don't think there's a single explanation that fits all of the rioters all of the time, but different people are acting the way they are for different reasons, so each pundit can find some rioters that fit their theory. Yes, anarchists are involved, but so are the far right. Some of it is anger, some of it is greed, some of it is stupidity, some of it is belligerence. Still, the forecast is for rain. That usually helps.
You mean the way they announced that they were moving a pile of police from Manchester to London -- so tonight things kicked off in Manchester?
That's terrible. My town seems prepared for what might happen so hopefully nothing too serious, if anything at all, happens. Awful, but glad you got home safely. If only I didn't have to go through London to get there. A castle sounds very appealing.
The police have already said that water cannon and rubber bullets would be no use, because they are only effective against a stationary crowd when the police want to win some space. And the army have already said that they can't help because pretty much all of their resources -- even the reservists -- are occupied in the Middle East.
And most of those who have come to court have been middle class, either employed or college students.
