Topic: Keep Calm and Riot On (Read 4404 times)

LaserBeing · « **Reply #20 on:** August 10, 2011, 07:10:59 PM »

Social unrest in Britain? But I thought they were white people!

Lest we forget, this is the nation that gave birth to the punk movement, ~~Guy Fawkes~~ V for Vendetta masks, and whose most popular superhero looks like this:

Mongrel · « **Reply #21 on:** August 10, 2011, 07:15:57 PM »

Also, modern hand-wringing about extremist factions in Scandinavia aside, the National Front (a generation ago) or Oswald Moseley (two generations ago) posted higher numbers than any batshit right-wing yoo-hoo Finns ever did.

England, she get all crazy sometime.

LaserBeing · « **Reply #22 on:** August 10, 2011, 07:30:33 PM »

Nope no deep-seated societal problems here! Fancy some tea and crumpets, luv?

Mongrel · « **Reply #23 on:** August 10, 2011, 08:00:39 PM »

I see a cross of St. George surrounded by squiggly lines. Am I missing something here?

Mongrel · « **Reply #24 on:** August 10, 2011, 08:02:21 PM »

This image is actually not current (Nor is it a picture of real events. It's from an old TV show). But somehow I feel it's appropriate.

Mongrel · « **Reply #25 on:** August 10, 2011, 08:14:39 PM »

Oh man, talk about topical.

I almost forgot this story from earlier: As violence spreads, British far-right leader promises 1000 paramilitary vigilantes will take to the streets

LaserBeing · « **Reply #26 on:** August 10, 2011, 08:25:07 PM »

Quote from: Mongrel on August 10, 2011, 08:00:39 PM

I see a cross of St. George surrounded by squiggly lines. Am I missing something here?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Defence_League

Brentai · « **Reply #27 on:** August 10, 2011, 09:49:03 PM »

Quote

“We're going to stop the riots — police obviously can't handle it,” Stephen Lennon, leader of the far-right English Defense League, told The Associated Press. He warned that he couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be violent clashes with rioting youths.

"And I must admit that I have the hugest god damn boner when I say that."

Ziiro · « **Reply #28 on:** August 10, 2011, 09:58:27 PM »

Oh hey it's kind of like this

Oh wait. This is an inaccurate image. People in England can't own knives.

Royal☭ · « **Reply #29 on:** August 11, 2011, 05:14:34 AM »

Quote from: Mongrel on August 10, 2011, 08:14:39 PM

Oh man, talk about topical.

I almost forgot this story from earlier: As violence spreads, British far-right leader promises 1000 paramilitary vigilantes will take to the streets

So pro-Mubarak forces are joining the fray.

Mongrel · « **Reply #30 on:** August 11, 2011, 08:16:21 AM »

Quote from: Andrew Gilligan

Across much of London on Monday night, if someone had decided to break down your door and rape your daughter, there would have been nothing to stop them. There would have been no one to call. When I was mugged, I was on my way home from a day in Tottenham, listening to the stories of the people who had lost far more and been at far greater risk than me, burned out of their homes at 30 seconds’ notice. They called 999 too, frantically, desperately, as the riot moved closer. There were 100 police just up the road. The emergency operator could do nothing but listen to their terror. I finished my journey in a cab. Three or four times, we had to stop and skirt round hooded boys spilling into the road, our windows closed and the door lock on. If they had fancied my taxi, there would have been nothing I or the driver could have done about that, either. Even on Monday, the victims of Tottenham, black and white, were already tired of outsiders blaming racism, police brutality, or cuts. (What were they rioting about in prosperous, suburban Enfield – rising season-ticket prices?) The real reason for the rioters’ behaviour is much simpler: because they can. Forget BlackBerry Messenger. After seeing — on television — how much leeway the looters of Tottenham were allowed, every criminal and every excitement-seeking child in London took note. By the next day, critical mass had been achieved. Disorder had erupted on a scale much more difficult to suppress than the original outbreak.

This is actually getting worse. Earlier, I jokingly entertained the idea that they might actually call in the army. Now I think that unless things show marked improvement tonight, military backup for the police before the week is out will be a certainty .

Sharkey · « **Reply #31 on:** August 11, 2011, 08:32:07 AM »

Hey, there's that "people are rioting because people are just motherfuckers" line again.

I realize that not everything in the world has a cause and people on the whole really can suck, but to deny that there could be any contributing factors at all when a huge mass of people violently explodes... that's either naive or disingenuous. I'm getting very tired of hearing it.

Thad · « **Reply #32 on:** August 11, 2011, 08:55:02 AM »

Quote from: Mongrel on August 11, 2011, 08:16:21 AM

This is actually getting worse. Earlier, I jokingly entertained the idea that they might actually call in the army. Now I think that unless things show marked improvement tonight, military backup for the police before the week is out will be a certainty .

Am I correct in understanding that last night had a strong enough police presence to calm things down a bit?

Brentai · « **Reply #33 on:** August 11, 2011, 09:24:39 AM »

Things have calmed down largely on their own. Most of the good shit has already been looted, I guess.

These people aren't exactly trashing Buckingham Palace. There's a certain amount of "let it all burn" mentality among the elite.

Büge · « **Reply #34 on:** August 11, 2011, 09:31:32 AM »

After all, they can always buy more.

Mongrel · « **Reply #35 on:** August 11, 2011, 09:40:35 AM »

Quote from: Sharkey on August 11, 2011, 08:32:07 AM

Hey, there's that "people are rioting because people are just motherfuckers" line again.

I realize that not everything in the world has a cause and people on the whole really can suck, but to deny that there could be any contributing factors at all when a huge mass of people violently explodes... that's either naive or disingenuous. I'm getting very tired of hearing it.

Not disagreeing there. Britain has been in legitimate ferment for months and it's hardly a coincidence that this all started in one of the poorest neighbourhoods.

But painting the whole riots as some kind of social justice revolutionary movement is just as silly.

It's neither. It's just chaos in naked form, with everything possible mixed in. Legit rage at real issues, bullshit opportunism, and everything in between.

Quote from: Thad on August 11, 2011, 08:55:02 AM

Quote from: Mongrel on August 11, 2011, 08:16:21 AM
This is actually getting worse. Earlier, I jokingly entertained the idea that they might actually call in the army. Now I think that unless things show marked improvement tonight, military backup for the police before the week is out will be a certainty .

Am I correct in understanding that last night had a strong enough police presence to calm things down a bit?

I don't actually know. The reports I saw in various papers this morning sometimes said yes, sometimes said no, but mostly avoided making any claims other than to say some of this was still going on.

Royal☭ · « **Reply #36 on:** August 11, 2011, 10:16:13 AM »

I believe when this happened in Libya you called you a revolution.

Ziiro · « **Reply #37 on:** August 11, 2011, 10:44:15 AM »

VBS.tv has a 4-minute clip about how a bit of this started.

Mongrel · « **Reply #38 on:** August 11, 2011, 11:12:58 AM »

Quote from: Constantmean on August 11, 2011, 10:16:13 AM

I believe when this happened in Libya you called you a revolution.

I wonder how many times someone's going to denigrate the Arab Spring by associating western nation nonsense with it.

Seriously man. Even the deepest cynic cannot possibly place Cameron and Ghaddafi on equal footing. Come on. That belittles both England's troubles and Libya's.

Ziiro · « **Reply #39 on:** August 11, 2011, 11:17:01 AM »

I agree with Mongrel. It would be revolution if they were doing something other than just lashing out.

News:

Author Topic: Keep Calm and Riot On (Read 4404 times)