The riots are a sign of moral decay, failed government cutbacks, racism, British national character, global warming (I really did see that on one blog) or who knows what else.
All of these are plausible (well maybe not global warming) but I recall the last major riots in a Western city -- the Vancouver hockey riots. Those riots were caused by nothing more than drunken hooliganism.
Maybe the riots are just a result of young hooligans (who are everywhere) realizing the police are unable to stop them robbing local stores? I note the lack of political agenda and the main focus of the rioters (other than random destruction) seeming to be grabbing flat screen televisions.
London rioting http://bit.ly/pn5jTk
12 comments:
The riots were sparked when police shot a man to death:
"The trouble follows two nights of violence over the weekend which started after police shot a man dead in Tottenham.A peaceful protest in Tottenham on Saturday over the death of Mark Duggan, 29, was followed by violence which spread into this week."
This fact (which you leave out) is a bit jarring in light of continued press coverage of the police here killing that brain injured fellow who was out for a walk with his mother. And that's before you get to what counts as professional policing in Ottawa.
You glibly write: "Maybe the riots are just a result of young hooligans (who are everywhere) realizing the police are unable to stop them robbing local stores?"
Maybe the poor quality of policing (chronicled in some of the coverage but which you left out of your sanctimonious post) had something to do with the genesis of these riots?
That is not to say that the police having shot that fellow justifies all these riots. My point is that you have a habit of leaving the status quo justice system stakeholders out of your otherwise critical analysis. Just like you said Philip Slayton was a dumbass for saying some lawyers are rats. You wrote you had never met a dishonest/shady/rat lawyer. Are you sure??? Do you ever defend lawyers hauled before LSUC tribunals? Were/are none of them - "rats"? A little more balance and honesty in your posts would be a nice change.
First Toronto, then Vancouver and now London. There are many similarities, too. I wonder if any bait cars (or buses) were used by agents provocateurs over there, like here.
Anonymous said...
The riots were sparked when police shot a man to death:
Way to gloss over the facts. The police were trying to arrest him while he was in a cab, he shot at the police, they shot back, now he's dead.
So people are rioting in support of a criminal? I think not. The best analysis of why these riots occur is in THE AUSTRALIAN.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/less-political-rebellion-more-mollycoddled-mob/story-e6frg6zo-1226111939883
And the guy who wrote that column is a lefty... ouch!
Hello Reid:
You were there I take it. Perhaps you could enlighten the National Post given your eye-witness certitude:
'No evidence' Duggan shot at police in riot-igniting exchange
National Post - 36 minutes ago
A police officers stands near a burnt out shop in Clapham Junction, in south London August 9
Oh, and Reid - Did you happen to see whether or not the fellow out walking with his Mom who wound up dead at the hands of the police had a gun/ I'm sure you think he too must have shot first - or such a thing could never have happened.
I have known crooked lawyers. They exist as do crooked cops and crooked plumbers. As for the Duggan shooting it does look like there is a real doubt as to him shooting. That said, most of the riots have nothing to do with him -- it is merely an excuse for rioting.
But the riots were preceeded by peacefull protests of the Duggan death. You skipped oveer that part in your zeal to trot out your hockey riot metaphor. Protests are often overtaken by wacko rioters with all sorts of agendas. Nothing new in that. My point is that you attempted to paint all of this as the equivalent of an NHL playoff riot and only now - reluctantly and begrudgingly - acknowledge there may be some doubts about the Duggan killing.
Reid - care to weigh in on this one:
Death of mentally ill man is just latest stain on a troubled ...
Toronto Sun - Joe Warmington - 5 hours ago
But it's nothing new with this police service, which in many circles has lost the ... Is there anybody on the Toronto Police who cares enough about what is ...
or this one Reid:
Mistaken raid could cost $2.5 million
Hamilton Spectator - Matthew Van Dongen - 16 hours ago
“This is a case that cries out for justice,” said Bob Munroe, the lawyer for the Myanmar native. “The conduct of the police in this situation must be ...
"When someone dies in police custody in some places they shamefully riot and burn.
In Toronto Monday they brought out the candles and shed tears for the bizarre death of a mentally ill man."
Death of mentally ill man is just latest stain on a troubled police service
By Joe Warmington ,Toronto Sun
Hume: London riots a long way off, but closer than we'd like
Toronto Star - Christopher Hume - 2 hours ago
In Toronto's most recent outbreak of street violence, at the G20 summit last summer, the damage was done by rampaging police, not protesters. ...
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