Mainad Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Its absolutely disgusting.This has clearly got nothing to do anymore with the peaceful demonstration over the shooting of that man in Tottenham. This has just become an excuse for mindless young thugs and vandals to go on the rampage and terrorise their own communities. The police seem overwhelmed. Cameron is returning from Italy to chair a meeting of the Cobra committee. Miliband and Clegg are on their way back too.It won't surprise me if we see army units drafted in to help the police deal with this outbreak of criminality and secure the streets of London. It's no good attacking Michelle or anyone else for commenting on this news story. It's happening and it's real and the implications for London security just a year away from the Olympics are profound. Lessons need to be learned quickly. I trust they will be. London riots: Cameron cuts short holiday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted August 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 I was thinking the Met police could get extra officers from other police forces, but now that seems impossible as other areas in England now need those resources themselves. I want to know can the army be deployed? Does England have water canons? The current operation isn't working, they need something else. Also, Ken Livingstone, is making excuses for these actions of the looters and rioters. Hopefully this isnt London's future mayor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyelBrazil Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 I wish peace can reign in London as soon as possible. Not nice to ready the same bullshit like "Doubts over security for Olympic Games" like I'm reading today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cormiermax Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 According to the BBC, the only place in the UK equipped with water cannons is Norther Ireland. I predict the army will be deployed tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted August 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 The army on the streets of Europe's biggest city - never thought I'd see that day. Some are saying water canons with permanent dye would be effective way of noting who these terrorists are. And I call them terrorists because they are exactly that. I don't think anyone could have predicted the lawlessness that has prevailed in the city, or the extensive violence used against shops. Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney said it best "these people are destroying their own areas, wake up". This is now the main news in France, the financial crisis in the markets is now way down the order of importance. This photo about sums everything up. everyone in London, please stay safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainad Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 I was thinking the Met police could get extra officers from other police forces, but now that seems impossible as other areas in England now need those resources themselves. Police forces are being drafted in from neighbouring Essex and Surrey to help out the Met. I want to know can the army be deployed? Does England have water canons? The current operation isn't working, they need something else. Yes,of course if need be.They may have to be if the riot police units can't get this under control. It has not been the practice for police here to use water cannons like they do on the Continent. Maybe that will have to be re-assessed if these disturbances get worse. Also, Ken Livingstone, is making excuses for these actions of the looters and rioters. Hopefully this isnt London's future mayor. No doubt Ken has some relevant points to make. There are always underlying reasons for what makes young people suddenly behave in this way. You can probably add boredom and the long summer holidays as a factor too. There will be plenty of time for reflection,assessments and recriminations later. In the meantime,the priority is to contain this outbreak of lawlessness before more people get seriously hurt. Copycat incidents have been reported in the centre of Birmingham and in south Liverpool. Hopefully they will be quickly contained and won't spread any further. Hopefully! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyelBrazil Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Wish the best for London. Army in streets? This is getting really huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cormiermax Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Riots are now being reported in Manchester... And now Bristol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchy Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 The army must be called in if order is to be restored. Like Mexico in 1968? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faster Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 This really disappoints me. I hate seeing sh!t like this because any legitamite grievances made are being washed out by the violence and stupidity. I hope everything returns to normal as soon as possible because I never want to live through anything like the Centennial Park Bombing again. Hopefully lessons are learned and the Olympics run smoothly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Tickle Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 The people of Birmingham are converging in the city centre at 10am this morning to help clean up their city. People are using hashtagriotclean up in london so good people that want to help clean up can get to the areas needed. Hopefully tonight they will implement a curfew and more police and if that doesnt work the army tommorrow. God help us that its come to this. Im signing off here for a few days, this country is being vandalised, and being on an Olympic Forum talking about the design of a wrap seems so insignificant. Catch you all in a week or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walei Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Hang in there London! I know how much those no good opportunist rioters suck, it amazes me that there are reports of actual arrests on people who attempted murder on police officers! Yikes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bezzi Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 These images reminded me of the problems we had here in Rio Although the attacks were made only in vehicles, the feeling of insecurity is terrible. Here the army was called to work together with the police and the operation was successful. I hope this problem is solved soon and that those marginals are all arrested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athan Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Be strong, London! And to all Londoners and British people here, please be careful and stay safe! I hope everything will return to normal soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Riots are now being reported in Manchester... And now Bristol... Manchester, Incorrect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 It is alarming reading about all these riots, I mean after seeing all the peaceful little English villages on my BBC dramas (altho I failed to tune into my BBC News of the, I guess, Real World last night). But this is really a strange summer phenomenon. Just looking back over the years: well, LA had its Watts riots in 1965 and I guess the Rodney King one in God-knows-when. (Funny, there were no anti-OJ riots in Beverly Hills or Santa Monica when he got off from a predominantly jury of color.) Paris had its student riots in May 1968 (just a week actually after my first visit ever to Paris) and I remember some muslim youth things in the smaller cities in 2005. Mexico City had theirs just a week before Opening in Oct '68; Beijing had theirs in when? 1989 or '91? Greece had their first post-2004 riots last summer a few weeks before I arrived. (They knew to cool it just before I got there!! ) I guess the one thing that can be said about Atlanta (for all its so-called mediocre Games) is that they've NEVER really had any racially-motivated disturbances!! (Having lived in Atlanta, I know that it's just too hot to care about getting hepped up over anything during some of the summer days. Again, the Olympic days turned out to be surprisingly mild that summer of 1996.) Also, I am on the board of my condo association, and 3 weeks or so ago, we also had a rash of robberies and break-ins, and we are in touch with our local PD; and indeed it is attributed to the economy and the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 It's no good attacking Michelle or anyone else for commenting on this news story. It's happening and it's real and the implications for London security just a year away from the Olympics are profound. Lessons need to be learned quickly. I trust they will be.London riots: Cameron cuts short holiday I fully understand the severity of the situation thanks Mainad. My elderly mother, most of my family and many many friends are caught up in it all and I am worried sick. This has great repercussions for the games and I have never denied that. What I have a problem with is the way that Michelle seemingly almost cannot wait to get to her computer and report something negative about London. I have rarely, if ever, seen a positive comment in the last year. Had it been anyone else then i would have forgiven a few innacuracies in reporting but Michelle seems to revel in London 2012 news stories, but only on the negaitve ones. I have never seen her post so much. I'm from Londoner and still proud of my home city despite what's going on. I want these toe-rags strung up and beat for doing this. Don't talk to me about race relations and budgetary cuts. This problems exists because we have allowed multiple generations of bad parenting go unchecked and this has led to a decline in the values, morals and principles of your average Brit. I was brought up in a very old fashioned way. Never swear, respect your parents, try to be polite(however much provoked), hold the door open for people, help your neighbours and respect the police. It seems all of these things are now a thing of the past with most of our inner city youth. This makes me desperately sad and I am not sure what the answer is. After correnting inaccurate reports across Facebook for the past 2 days I want to make it clear that I am by no means blinded by what is actually going on. Far from it. I am just mindful that places like Clapham Junction were peaceful until inaccurate reports spoke on running battles there. This scaremongering then led to Clapham being targeted. Check your facts first. You do not know the damage you cause. For the record, I have just come through Piccadilly Gardens in the centre of Manchester and there are singers entertaining the shoppers in the sunshine. Not a smashed window in sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Of course, tying the Olympics to any perilous headline is standard practice by the media in any games lead up. I just hope the situation gets under control sooner rather than later. Many major cities have their not too proud moments with riots and protests. Chicago had it in 1968, LA in 1992, Seattle in 1999, Paris in 2005... the list goes on. I have no doubt this will get under control, and London will shine next summer. London burning undermines image ahead of OlympicsBy Peter Griffiths LONDON | Tue Aug 9, 2011 10:02am EDT (Reuters) - Riots across London this week could not have come at a worse time for a country preparing to welcome millions of visitors to the Olympics next summer and struggling to attract investment as its economy falters. Images flashed around the world of burning buildings, looters ransacking shops and police fighting with masked gangs risk damaging Britain's reputation as a place to visit and do business, analysts and business leaders said on Tuesday. Crisis management expert Alex Woolfall said it was crucial that the police and government end the rioting quickly to avoid causing lasting damage to the perception of Britain overseas. "If the story becomes 'one week of summer madness', then it will come and go and people will move on," said Woolfall, an executive at public relations company Porter Novelli. "But if this drags on, or worse, that it looks like there is a genuine inability to stop it, then that really does start to change perceptions," he said, adding that the danger lay in worries building about security and whether the country had enough police. The British Retail Consortium, a trade body which represents 90 percent of stores, said the rioting sent an "appalling message" to people at home and abroad. "It will put people from other parts of the UK, and from abroad, off going to London in the medium term," said a spokesman. Any decline in tourists' spending would be hard on British retailers at a time of low consumer confidence and public spending cuts. Britain's economy barely grew in the second quarter following six months of stagnation. "The capital's firms (are) already bearing the heavy cost of the continuing economic turmoil," said Colin Stanbridge, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a business lobby group. "At the peak of the tourist season and with only a year to go until the London 2012 Games, this really isn't the image we want to present to the world." HARMFUL HEADLINES Wyn Grant, politics professor at Warwick University, said negative headlines around the world -- which declared "Britain's Burning" and "War Zone London" -- may cause short-term harm. "It gives the impression of a city which is very unsafe for people to visit," he said. Read Full Article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 , and London will shine next summer. Yeah, better now than next year. At least word can be sent out to the restive sectors that this will NOT be tolerated next year and that, hopefully, the law will come down heavy on them next year. So in a way, it;s a dress rehearsal for both sides now -- altho deplorable it still is. BTW, did "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" open there this weekend? Maybe there's a connection?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 And yes this is Olympic related because this clearly shows that London is not ready for this kind of police work only a year out from the games. What an absurd thing to say. Name me any city in the world that could deal with this kind of random sustianed attack and come out of it without criticism. London is a huge city (check the map) and these riots broke out in every single corner of it. We do not have water cannon, plastic bullets etc and our police do not carry guns(thankfully) so using what was at their disposal I think our police did a great job. If we went in too early bludgeoning and shooting everyone in sight then London police would have been accused of being too heavy handed. Our police have a lot to learn from these riots but to make that kind of sweeping statement is quite ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zekekelso Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 >> I'm from Londoner and still proud of my home city despite what's going on. I want these toe-rags strung up and beat for doing this. Don't talk to me about race relations and budgetary cuts. This problems exists because we have allowed multiple generations of bad parenting go unchecked and this has led to a decline in the values, morals and principles of your average Brit. Dude, people have been rioting in London since the city was founded. It's what people do from time to time in cities. It's what they have always done... it's what they will do in the future. This isn't a recent "bad patenting" kind of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 We do not have water cannon, plastic bullets etc and our police do not carry guns(thankfully) so using what was at their disposal I think our police did a great job. If we went in too early bludgeoning and shooting everyone in sight then London police would have been accused of being too heavy handed. Our police have a lot to learn from these riots but to make that kind of sweeping statement is quite ridiculous. It must be the American in me, but I have a hard time imaging an effective police officer without a gun. They are called "mall cops" here in the U.S. Anyway, if there is not an overriding need for British police to carry guns, then I guess that is good (so long as pandemonium doesn't break out... wait a second). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 It must be the American in me, but I have a hard time imaging an effective police officer without a gun. They are called "mall cops" here in the U.S. Anyway, if there is not an overriding need for British police to carry guns, then I guess that is good (so long as pandemonium doesn't break out... wait a second). No, you wait a second... The police have guns in America and 53 people died during the Rodney King riots. There have been no fatalities in London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 I wouldn't want to be a police officer in the UK. I'd want to survive over the bad elements; not the other way around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafa Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Reminds me of the headlines pre 2010 World Cup by the British Press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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