They are NOT protests, they are riots and terrorist attacks

[Stripedchutney]

AIBU to be so angry at the use of ‘protest’ when it’s clear that these are race related violent riots and terrorist attacks. I’m finding myself shouting at the TV!!

I think you'll find I'm not minimising these riots and you'll also find I'm pointing out you started off with doing exactly that yourself.

Every time you attempt to minimise JSO 5 conviction, I've drawn your attention to the Judge's Sentencing Remarks. Especially the part where the JSO convicts concerned were actually the LEADERS themselves engaged in conspiracy.

That carries a heavier sentence.

You have to first understand why JSO 5 got the sentences they did before you can begin to comment on whatever sentences will be handed down to any person convicted of their own respective charges on relation to the recent riots.

Again, don't draw a false equivalence with JSO or minimise their crimes because of your own lack of legal understanding of whatever sentences are handed down to rioters.

One was a group of leaders caught conspiring and the one was a group of involved rioters rather than any identified leader orchestrating the riots.

I think it's pretty clear I don't support anyone rioting as being from Northern Ireland I know what happens during them. And I also avoid riots - sensible security advice. 👍

In other words, stop making assumptions implied in your questions.

If you want to focus on and condemn the riots, crack on.

But if what you really want to do is to minimise JSO 5 convictions, then don't bother to try that angle. Especially as they were lucky not to get 10 years for their plan.

Try to think more clearly about what it is you want to say.

Sorry to hear that. My recollection is that they were shorter lived and contained to one area in 2011 but I my memory isn’t great. I also think the co text now is scarier. So much misinformation. Brexit and all the racist misinformation and almost politicising racist views. Putin stirring unrest using bots to create division. Social Media landscape has changed. And there are now lists of targets. I don’t know. May be I’m wrong, I hope I am, but this feels so much worse to me.

That wasn't even a point you made that I was picking you up on.

Your points I picked up on don't themselves stand. It's a False Equivalence from you. 👍

And, of course, they were riots. BBC often take use neutral language in their headlines which changes as more information comes in. Sometimes their headline changes still don't reflect what really happened, sometimes it does.

But that's how the BBC has worked for years.

They deserve every one of those years as well!

And I still feel that the sentences do not fit the behaviour.

I went into our local city today to have my hair cut. The streets were quiet which was odd, and by 5pm the staff in the hairdressers were turning the later booked appointments away and getting the hair team to finish up - I was sent out with roughly dried hair! The roads out were much busier than usual for a summer holiday week - and honestly it was quite unnerving. There's also problems in the next town where we have our business premises and I've hardly taken my eye off the CCTV covering the front area.

My recollection is that they were shorter lived and contained to one area in 2011 but I my memory isn’t great. I also think the co text now is scarier.

They affected fewer areas but that didn't make them any less terrifying for those who lived in the affected areas. However, they weren't targeted at any particular demographic so i can see that the current riots are more frightening for some people than others.

Ultimately I think that some violent men seek an outlet for their violence. Now is scary, 2011 was scary, Toxteth riots were scary, football thugs in the 80s were scary, etc. I don't think it is unreasonable to be scared but I do think it is unreasonable to assume that the current wave of thugs are significantly worse than the last few times this happened.

Completely agree with you that for those near it’s just as scary. The individual experience is just as terrifying. Sorry if it sounded like I was in anyway minimising the riots that have gone in before. I just mean that the context now and the drivers are different. There hade always been dumb, angry, violent men that will use any excuse to get violent. It’s that they are now being used and manipulated and organised by people with really nefarious aims. But I’m really sorry if it seemed like I was minimising what has gone before. I really didn’t mean to.

I'm most impressed by the fast sentencing. I've never heard of 1 week turn around in our absurd judicial system. Bravo.