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Original poster

Enfield riots?

916 replies

Empusa · 07/08/2011 18:21

Just seen on Twitter and in a few articles like this, that there are meant to be plans for a riot in Enfield tonight and riot police are in the town centre?

Used to live there, and got family there (luckily a fair distance from the centre), but fucking hell! What the hell is going on?

OP posts:
teejwood · 08/08/2011 15:22

oh please - i am no tory-voting right winger but let's call a spade a spade. it's exactly because these people are hurting the poor and lower earners that they piss me off so much.

if this was economic they would be taking food from Lidl rather than torching it. instead they are gearing themselves up with technology, clothes and new trainers because they feel the world owes them all the new things they want without them having to put in the graft and save like the rest of us.
have you seen the tweets with people saying that they want to grab themselves a new ipad?!

some of these people have an obscene sense of entitlement. and they give others in their generation and area a really bad name, which is unfair on those who do work hard and want to build a better future for themselves and their famillies.

nor is this passion or belief based. they are dispassionately organising when and where they are going to hit next ffs like real ORGANISED criminals. that is what they are.

teejwood · 08/08/2011 15:23

oh yes and I should have stressed - a new ipad. bless.

Original poster
Empusa · 08/08/2011 15:33

Utterly agree with Teej

OP posts:
June2009 · 08/08/2011 15:38

heya, new to twitter, what feed did you subscribe to?
LBC saying the shops in "Southgate" high street have been advised to close early 5pm today. :(

OTheHugeManatee · 08/08/2011 15:45

I thought the looters were using Blackberry Messenger to communicate. There's lots of chat on twitter about the riots, but I haven't seen anything encouraging people to go and join in. Unless I'm just following the wrong hashtags...?

Original poster
Empusa · 08/08/2011 15:51

I hadn't seen anything on Twitter either, had heard the rumours about BBM though. Difficult to know really.

OP posts:
PainSnail · 08/08/2011 16:35

BBM looks to be the main organisational culprit at the moment. There are some reasonably chilling examples there.

www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/aug/08/london-riots-facebook-twitter-blackberry

I cannot see how this will end any time soon.

GypsyMoth · 08/08/2011 16:37

Young girls giggling as they made off with tv and other stuff. All on camera, as was their mates car reg which they all piled into with their loot!!

PainSnail · 08/08/2011 16:49

Apparently there are kids are young as 12 out looting.

NannyNorthLlondon · 08/08/2011 16:56

On BBC now, they are attacking Hackney aswell :(

OhYouBadBadKitten · 08/08/2011 17:07

This is going to sound silly and a bit of an 'out-of-towner' pathetic wibble. We are going into central London tomorrow and staying for the evening. Oxford Circus was hit last night (though to much a less of an extent than in other areas).

I'm not going to be put off from going (been to enough peaceful and legitimate protests to know about staying safe, but this is so very very different) Any thoughts? I guess keeping an eye on twitter and also as to where police start to build up is sensible and if trouble starts head out of there pronto (must take a-z as phone map can be a bit slow)

I really feel for those of you living in the affected areas. I really hope you stay safe and have a peaceful night tonight. i'm thinking of you (fwiw) It is horrible.

Ryoko · 08/08/2011 17:11

The people are fed up, fed up with the benefits cuts that have caused 40,000 families to leave london, fed up with high prices, high taxes, higher education that costs a years salary on a minimum wage job to get in the door, fed up with the lack of apprenticeships, the cut in funding for youth clubs and the like by 70%, the total lack of affordable housing etc. while the government pay themselves well, cream off expenses, do nothing to tackle white collar crime and blame the poor for everything.

It was bound to happen the police are the representatives of the powers that be, secretly the government must be pleased, the more people vent their pent up rage in a chaotic manner the less likely it is that we will have any kind of organised uprising against the ConDems.

And I'd like to know why the news all ways use this magic word "community" it's a derogatory comment in disguise if you ask me, when crime happens in a up market area it's people are referred to as residents, which implies that they are individuals who happens to live there. but when the news speaks of community what they imply is that the area is populated by a homogeneous group, Chavs, the underclass, scum what ever the Daily Mail readers like to call them now days.

CognitiveDissident · 08/08/2011 17:17

FFS

Croydon is locked down, police everywhere. All the shops closed early & sent their staff home.

EdithWeston · 08/08/2011 17:20

I'd call them criminals. There was even a picture of someone trying on a trainer before looting it!

There is NO EXCUSE for this kind of copycat destruction and theft.

The people I feel concern for right now are those burnt out of their homes and livelihoods. And (to a lesser extent) the organisers of, participants in and crowds expecting to go to Hackney Carnival (Guardian link above reports it was abruptly cancelled yesterday) - those sorts of events build communities, the rioters don't.

And I have respect for the millions of Londoners - many of whom are struggling at the moment (including under the conditions ryoko lists above) - but who do NOT turn to crime and wanton destruction. I have none for the few hundred who have done this.

noddyholder · 08/08/2011 17:22

What is going on? Where are the parents? This is going to end badly I feel. These people have taken to the streets and are intent on stealing and being destructive shame they don't put the same energy and time into their communities in a positive way. I am sickened at the footage of young people laughing as they carry tvs etc off

janelikesjam · 08/08/2011 17:28

I am feeling very scared at this total breakdown in respect and civility.

GypsyMoth · 08/08/2011 17:30

Just peeked at the news and ds is only 8 and is in tears, he 'feels sorry for london' he says. Wish I hadn't looked.

GypsyMoth · 08/08/2011 17:33

I bet there are groups of kids/men whoever, planning similar hoping to get themselves an iPod/iPad/ new phone. I can imagine them all planning it now . Where will it end!?

noddyholder · 08/08/2011 17:34

These people posting pictures of their haul on FB etc should be arrested and charged.They have no regard for other peoples lives or possessions. No respect either and I can imagine how they would react and what they would do if someone stole something from them. Awful aggressive selfish attitude

DrPolidori · 08/08/2011 17:36

Its really horrible here in Hackney. All shops are closing...feeling rather scared.

teejwood · 08/08/2011 17:37

right - sorry was off gathering family home before things got really bad.

have been following the name of the place where i live on twitter, hence am catching any tweets related to that (some of which actually have been bloody hilarious). some are of the "see you there", "i'll bring my black bag" type but yy a lot of the organisation is on BBM. funnily enough i can't afford one of those

it's been siren and chopper central since about 5pm - but most of the shops had shut up already so hopefully the little sods will have been frustrated in their attempts.

noddyholder · 08/08/2011 17:37

I am really sorry for all of you.Have been trying to get in touch with my brother but nothing all day. He lives in the east end hope he is ok.

EdithWeston · 08/08/2011 17:42

There's a new thread about the Hackney riot here. You might want to keep an eye on it too, as I dare say its title will attract posters with updates.

DrPolidori · 08/08/2011 17:42

Apparently Boris is coming back to deal with it all. That's cool then, we can all sleep easy now.

What's he going to do? Scare the rioters with his haircut?

teejwood · 08/08/2011 17:47

DrPolidori Hackney looks particularly bad - stay safe!

and oh Ryoko - seriously? are the people here using "community" in a negative way? no.

also i love your comment of people being sick of "high taxes". how are we supposed to pay for services/ youth services then?

and if we're talking about rich politicians - jesus - do you KNOW how many current and former Labour frontbenchers are from incredibly wealthy families and went to private schools? Or sent their kids to private schools? the "this government" line is a crock imho -and again i am NOT a fan of the Condems.
can you really not see this for what it really is? because tonight i saw crowds of young boys running towards the "action" in my neighbourhood in sparkly clean tracksuits and with looks of unfettered glee on their faces.