Current riots

[emilyelf]

Sorry this is probably the millionth thread about this and apologies for posting on aibu but here are my questions about this riot and feel free to widen my horizon:

1. Why has the tabloids suddenly taken a turn in their reporting? Didn't they encourage this situation from the start and in general creating division and hatred on a daily basis up until now?

2. Why are they reporting these people as thugs and mobs now after publishing daily hatred to stir things up and that has prepared and encouraged them for what's happening today? Are the editors now scared that they will be held accountable if they continued stirring?

3. Why are our politicians silent about this (apologies if they have condemned it, I don't use x/twitter) particularly the ones like Suella and Priti Patel and Nigel Farage who have actively worked hand in hand to create this situation again a bit like show. Create a scenario, rehearse with them, dress them up for their roles and put them on stage and suddenly back off once the lights come on and the show starts. Shouldn't the directors of this show which are of course the tabloid editors and our politicians be held accountable for this shit show?

There are plenty more things I want to add but cannot process it right now but I hope this thread creates a civilised discussion. I will probably dip in and out as I finish tending to my lo's needs, so please don't think Ive left the discussion. Btw, I am so ashamed of these people, so ashamed to call myself British.

This has nothing to do with the killings of the 3 innocent girls. This is mostly people we see out and about who are projecting their life failures living as rejects in our society that have been failed by austerity, poverty, addictions, generational trauma and lack of opportunities. As a non white British person, I believe these people weren't racist, they became racist by our leaders and media and they were used by them for their own agenda.

I fear for myself, my children and many others who are in the same situation scared to go out who are law abiding citizens. I can see the bigger picture and I know it's not going to work on what they have actively worked on to create division.

Yep.

Unfortunately I agree.

Look again. He is giving the v sign! I wouldn't tolerate this from my child or grandchild. Do you?

People in Birmingham had swords and machetes but no mention of that in the news.

Carrying swords and machetes is illegal in this country. I hope the perpetrators were immediately arrested and will face the full consequences of their actions.

This was the discrepancy between the terrifying accounts on here and the very downplayed incident in the media and from politicians

I don't see a child waving flags for England here...where do you suppose she learnt that behaviour from?

link didn't attach in above post

https://x.com/scartys/status/1820537277271195994/photo/1

This was the discrepancy between the terrifying accounts on here and the very downplayed incident in the media and from politicians

LBC are talking about this now, one of their reporters was pretty shaken up.

They will. Look how quickly the thugs are being processed. All on remand, despite their tears.

It’s been noticed that some of the targets later this week are near Jewish community centres. Seeing that we’ve seen swastika’s and sieg heiling this week, this isn’t a surprise. These thugs are not protestors. They are terrorists and should be treated as such.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/06/far-right-forums-used-to-plan-riots-now-encouraging-antisemitic-attacks

One of the thugs, 21 years old, was reported a sobbing in the dock today as he was remanded in custody.
Oh boohoo, poor baby.

The police stood and watched when BLM protesters ripped down statues dragged them through Bristol and threw them in a river. Same when protesters deface war memorials. All anti social behaviour should be treated equally with more arrests but the police just stand and watch or bend the knee when some protesters are kicking off. It's not good enough. If people see some get away with things others try it on. All anti social behaviour should be stamped out including the weekly Gaza protestors with their hate speech about Jews.

Defacing a memorial or even throwing a statue in a river is not comparable to what we are seeing now: people's property is being ripped up, cars burnt out, inc Police ones, shops looted, police attacked with rocks and metal bars, dogs and horses injured.
Then there is the attempt to burn down hostels and hotels that are full of asylum seekers, thats mass murder!

None of this happens during the Gaza protests or in the statue protest in Bristol.

You are simply not making a fair comparison.

@thefireplace obviously it's not a fair comparison - but certain Tory apologists always have to stick their nose in on this type of thread to 'make their views heard'.

Fine - how about calling it 'attempted murder'?

Setting fire to a building with people in it - yeah - I would think that is attempted murder.

Totally agree.

A statue is a symbol, and defacing a statue is a symbolic act (whether you agree with it or not). It can be a very powerful and cathartic symbolic act - a good example is the toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue in Iraq, years ago. The toppling of the Colton statue in Bristol is now part of that statue's history, for future generations to learn from. (The local community had also previously petitoned to have that statue legally removed, and had been ignored.)

Defacing a statue doesn't involve harm to human beings, or their homes. It's on a totally different level to what we've been seeing this week, which has been deliberate violence, intimidation and threats against people and their homes.

Of course the police response is different depending on the level of threat faced. That's what good policing involves - proportionate response. We have policing by consent in this country.

I don't differentiate between damaging state property ie. statues and damaging other peoples private properly eg a private citizen had his fence torn down to use as missiles or a car burned out. Neither should be acceptable. By allowing earlier offences to go unpunished the Tory government of the time and leader of opposition Starmer even condoned by taking the knee the day after it happened Starmer has given the impression it's OK to vandalise property. I agree it's getting worse but Starmer shouldn't have condoned the earlier vandalism. Things escalate when people think they might get away with it. Earlier incidents like statues should have been severely punished but they weren't because the government didn't want to be accused of racism. Everyone should be punished equally regardless of colour or race. That has not been happening up to now with many Gaza protesters using hate speech about Jews on a weekly basis projecting it on to the houses of parliament in front of police and nothing done about it and people notice. Now we have these dreadful riots. I hope everyone rioting gets severely punished white, brown and black people who engage in it. Just blaming it all on the far right is not correct as many incidents involved gangs of Muslims like in Birmingham where they were out with swords and machetes and attacked a solitary white man who just happened to leave a pub unaware of what was kicking off outside and was hospitalised with liver lacerations. Btw it's only mass murder if many people die.

I don't differentiate between damaging state property ie. statues and damaging other peoples private properly eg a private citizen had his fence torn down to use as missiles or a car burned out

if you cannot differentiate between these things then your judgement is chronically impaired. Toppling a statue of a slave trader is removing a visible object that appears to celebrate slavery. Shame the country had not removed these long ago.
Setting fire to a hotel filled with human beings was clearly an attempt at mass murder! Smashing up peoples businesses, looting their property, smashing up their homes, assaulting our police officers and destroying people's places of worship completely overshadows pushing a flipping statue over. Seriously scary that you cannot see that.

Give up the two tier policing crap! Elon Musk has a big enough mouth and ££billions to spread his conspiracy theory nonsense. He doesn't need any help from mumsnet members who need to sit in a dark room and get educated.

You are showing a distinct lack of critical thinking.

Everyone should be punished equally regardless of colour or race. That has not been happening up to now with many Gaza protesters using hate speech about Jews

Hope you are equally compassionate about the thousands of innocent men, women and children being killed in Gaza by Israeli indiscriminate shelling of hospitals, schools, homes and even football pitches where children try to play. Far as I know projecting an image on a building took no innocent lives, hurt nobody and was getting a message to Parliament.

https://x.com/TheNorfolkLion/status/1820199873511084436?t=VpGKv5Yhe_4tWq3KhGhqyA&s=19

What a severely misguided take (to be kind).
I sincerely hope you're not really a carer 🤔

The people who defaced the Colston statue and threw it in a river weren't just allowed to get away with it by the police or the Tory government though. They were arrested and stood trial. A Jury of 12 of their peers decided to find them not guilty. You might disagree with it, it is clear that there was a lot of evidence they did it and it was technically against the law. However, the right of Juries to vote with their conscience is a really important cornerstone of UK law. It took immensely principled ordinary people to have it enshrined in the law. It is actually a genuine "British value"

But, if 2 tier policing exists, the Colston statue is not a good example.

'Technically against the law' to damage statues. If they didn't like them they should lobby their MP to try to get them removed not take the law into their own hands. When people do that we cease to be a democracy. What about the Gaza demonstrators who defaced war memorials? I suppose you think that's ok too? I simply want ALL people who damage public or private property of others to be treated equally. That includes right wing and left wing white/black/brown people too as well as religious groups as well as those with no religion. It's the unequal treatment by the police at the base of these riots. I'm very pleased that finally the JSO protesters got prison sentences after 2 years of the police turning a blind eye to their antics.