Tottenham rioting

[sfxmum]

has anyone heard? seems to be all over Twitter but not on other media
apparently police cars burning

Hope those who were so quick to blacken his name are ready to retract. They were happy to smear a dead man based on rumour even when warned initial reports are usually wrong.

Edam: it's still rumour and counter rumour. Anyone, of any view, may need to be the one ready to retract.

Have just listened to Radio 4, First there were the police, who apparently have killed an innocent man and this was all about "the community" getting angry, then the police were oversensitive to the family so there weren't enough police to control things, then the police were losing control of the streets. NOW the are banging on about Brixton riots etc.....

WHAT BULLSHIT ! It's a hot summer and people always riot in hot summers, you could go back to the !9th centuary and people always riot in hot weather. An incident may have set it off but at the end of the day, people wanted to cause trouble and loot shops and I think it's about time the police targetted the criminals who caused the violence and stop bashing the police who are just trying to DO THEIR JOB!!!!!

Oh here is a YOUF worker going on about how policing is really the cause.....FFS!

People always riot in hot summers fgs what garbage

Firstly, he wasn't innocent. He was carrying a loaded gun.

Secondly, I remember the Tories last time and the riots.
Funny how the country continued to vote in Maggie et al for a further three terms.

That disenchanted, eh?

Policing is of course NOT the cause, but it's very interesting to see how it is discussed.

I opened a thread about Operation Trident, as I was previously under the impression that it was widely praised as a model of community policing. (Actually, no-one's yet commented on it, so perhaps it's not so interesting to other MNetters!)

The only police statement I could find about policing the Tottenham riot was that they started gently - having a) not expected the level of trouble and b) having judged it inappropriate to have SPG (or whatever it is now) vans in evidence at the outset. I wonder if the "youf" worker had wanted less policing (probably more physical damage) or more (riot police from the outset?).

Hang on, Edam. Just because the bullet in the radio is rumoured to have been police issue does not mean that this man was not walking around with a loaded gun, does it? We just don't know anything for sure, so let's stop all this talk of 'retracting' things until all is clear.

Personally, whether he fired the gun or not, if he pointed it, or even walked around with it loaded, then the police were justified IMHO. But let's just wait and see.

There are plenty of people ready to smear the police based on rumour and past high profile cases as well. I don't recall many cries of 'lets' not blacken a man's name until we have the prove he is guilty' ........and........ 'I hope you are all willing to retract what you said if this turns out to be a big lie' when Strauss Khan was arrested for alleged sexual assault. I'm not defending him incidentally, I'm just saying let's not have double standards. We shouldn't assume anyone's guilt. Not the police, not Strauss Khan and not Mark Duggan.

Crossed posts to Edam Edith!

This is disgusting!!! I live just up Fosters Rd. Where all of this started. Everything is destroyed , no place to buy a pint of milk, no bus stop to go to work ! And all of this in the name of ' justice'? I don't think so... I am so angry and sad at what is happening . These idiots destroyed everything and it will take months if not years to build back what was destroyed in a few hours

Walking around with a loaded gun is still a criminal offence, is it not?

Where is the Mayor of London whilst all these riots are kicking off - what a surprise the tory boy is sunning himself on holiday and doesn't see a need to return to London! Boris Johnson is so out of touch with Londoners it's amazing and so depressing.

Cameron and Osborne also off on their jollies.Not even a statement from them So PM DPM Chancellor Home sec and Mayor all out of country??????

It's the summer recess for God's sake. How bad would a problem at work be for you to need to come home from a well-earned holiday? I'm sure they haven't just gone off without leaving anyone in charge, (Clegg for example) and I'm sure they will return if things get really out of control. I also do not doubt that they are spending most of the holiday in emergency video conferencing and endless phone calls.

Not that this is not serious of course, but in the scheme of what their jobs entail, it is not a cast iron reason to rush back just yet.

I think you'll find fellatio most people think they should rush back

Clegg is here I think, and so is Boris's deputy. He has been giving statements and Boris has given a statement.

Perhaps it's time for a bit of martial law? Whenever I hear the very high ranking Army/Navy/RAF speaking I always think that if they should be running the country.

They left Clegg in charge?

Which actually means that Mrs Clegg is in charge

Well I'm not saying they shouldn't - only that it is typical to get the stupid 'Oh those let them eat cake Tory twats swanning around like chinless gits on some ludicrously expensive holiday while the rest of us burn and starve in the streets' type comments really get on my tits. We have no way of knowing whether any PM of another persuasion would rush back either! They don't have crystal balls when they book their holidays, and neither do they have the ability to teleport themselves just yet!

I am sure if things escalate to a point where they are needed here then they will come back. It's only been two days. They may be arranging to do so right now for all we know. But never mind. So long as we can just keep repeating the words 'Tory Bastards' everyone's happy.

Even if they were to come back they're not exactly going to pound the streets beating off rioters with a stick are they? I bet Dave has worked out how to use Skype to communicate, for all we know he might even have a telephone to use in Tuscany.

It's very bad PR for them not to come back. Dunno who's advising them, but they're being very badly advised.

It's not a matter of them coming back and patrolling the streets is it?

It's the message they are sending out by staying on their plush holidays that is causing the problem.

I believe Marie Antionette made a similar mistake?

Yes,it is dem Evil Tory Bastards what made me riot, innit, I is so disaffected wiv da way da country as gone downill, innit , in de last year since thay ave been in da power.
It was great in Tottenham under da labour.

Disaffected, disengaged, disenfranchised. Is that why on the Mark Duggan Tribute page Dis features so often.

Yes blad dats y u get me

FUCK DA FEDZ