london riots

Not since the blanket bombing of London by the Luftwaffe in the 1940’s have Londoners awoken to such horror in their streets. Watching the 300 raise their brooms in Hackney offered a deep reminder of the Blitz spirit of non-surrender, but none could deny the sickening feeling that their enemy is not menacing high in the dark clouds, but is among their own communities’ children.

Although these riots began in a peaceful vigil outside Tottenham Court Police station over the shooting of 29-year old Mark Duggan at the hands of Operation Trident, these are not race riots. As Doug Saunders commented, this is not about race or politics, “but an explosion of futureless youth.”

600,000 people under 25 have never found employment in Britain. 17% of Britain’s youth are classified Not in Employment, Education or Training, the fourth highest percentage in the European Union.

563 people were arrested in the riots over the last three days, and almost all were under 20 (the youngest arrested was 11 years old) many pundits said that these were random acts of violence, mindless criminality, but I disagree.

There was nothing random about how rioters uniformly attacked the police. They were out rightly targeted. 48 police officers were hurt in skirmishes, some seriously.  

If this were not the case, there would not be 16,000 police officers (instead of only 6,000 last night) being deployed across the capital (armed with plastic bullets for the first time ever) to defend it from the fury of the youth.

Police presence in Tottenham, Hackney or any other of the districts affected by the riots is not a random occurrence either. These areas were target for “criminality” long before the riots commenced. If there is little respect shown for you, how much respect will you have for yourself? Are Police made targets by those they target by sheer coincidence?

Many journalists have said that no one has any idea why this is happening; I think it is quite simple. Riots have always been about reclaiming power, and angry young people with nothing to lose are robbing shops for technology and trainers because no one can stop them.  They have control at last. It is no way condonable, but absolutely understandable.

There is nothing random about the systematic looting of chain stores such as Dixon’s and Carphone Warehouse. Sean Carey summed it up best when he said, “if affluence is our marker of social power, it is no surprise that the high street is at the heart of the riots.”

Consumption makes up about two-thirds of all economic activity in this country, and with the younger generations being systematically fed ideas of status equalling possession of brands and logos, money and wealth, are we surprised that these reactions come from those who have no opportunity presented to them to achieve their desires of a good life?

Most of these kids have grown up in a community where there are no jobs, no space to live or move, no hope of higher education or prospects. Turning against his/her own neighbourhoods is as symbolic as a prisoner burning down his prison. For most of these kids there is no other escape, and it is a social tragedy that these are the lengths our children have to go to, to be seen and heard.

This is not an excuse, and it should be remarked that many members of the communities (in precisely the same social condition) affected by the riots lost businesses, homes and in one case a life at the hands of the angry mobs. I do not condone violence in any way.

But we all know why this is really happening, and it was underlined when David Cameron and Boris Johnson were booed and heckled by angry residents involved in the riot clean up efforts in Hackney this afternoon.

It took our Prime Minister three days to respond to the riot situation – does this not say everything about how in touch with his people he is? On his return did he share any of the responsibility by admitting that this may have something to do with the pressures of recession on an already poverty stricken community, or the fact that any higher education is now an fiscal impossibility for their children, and prison is a high possibility?

Did he raise concern over the trigger-happy nature of his Police force, especially when concerning young men with darker skin than pale? Especially as there is no evidence that Mark Duggan shot at Police?

No. This is what he said: “The court process would be sped up to ensure swift justice for those involved in the sickening scenes of looting. If you are old enough to commit these crimes, you are old enough to face the punishments.”

Nice.   You are old enough to be imprisoned, but not important enough to be understood. Until our government becomes an instrument for the people, the people will always rebel. We need to listen to the needs of our youth and of all of our people, before every city burns.