Riots in London

[KittyVentura]

Ok, so IGNORING the reasons for the initial riot/protest (because we can all accept that the following riots are completely unrelated to the killing on Thursday). What do YOU think is behind the copycat riots across London and also now in Birmingham. What action do you think is needed to stop the violence spreading further? Are there any laws that shuld be changed etc?

Who is really to blame? What are YOUR views? xx

 

[EmmyReece]

I really don't know ... though I have just seen it mentioned on the news that they should be bringing in the army by now.

This is just mindless daylight robbery, it's gone too far and really makes me

And why on earth did Cameron leave it until today / tonight to return to the UK???

Ugh, really hate people like this

 

[bumpy_j]

I heard on facebook that people tried to set fire to a car with a baby inside...

 

[EmmyReece]

it's completely out of hand, I hope they're all caught and given the most severe punishment possible

 

[Zoex89x]

It's just awful I expect they are just a bunch of low life scum using thursdays shooting some sort of pathetic reason to go around ruining poor innocent people's lives, it's disgusting and shameful to our country to have such filth like them in it! Let's hope they manage to put a stop to all this soon its pertrifying and uncalled for. They are scum.

 

[Tiff]

I don't know much about the laws over there if I'm honest. So please take what I say with a grain (or two) of salt!

There needs to be some sort of contingency plan against anarchy. Which is what it seems like is going on there right now. People are just goin' with the flow for whatever reason.

I think the military should be sent in (regardless of how few their numbers are) and help the police. Isn't that what they are for?

Again, speaking of this with how I'd expect our government to step in and handle this. How things are here vs how things are in other parts of the world are TOTALLY different and I totally respect that.

 

[TennisGal]

These rioters are using the initial reason as nothing more than an excuse to commit crime - mindless vandalism. They are nothing but thugs with no intelligence...they are destroying the country and economy they rely upon.

I don't advocate any soft touch here, we should wheel water cannons out and blast these people. I understand that with water cannons can come injury, but these people have forfeited their rights to be treated with respect and dignity when they decided to employ this pack mentality and have no consideration for property, belongings, homes, businesses and even lives.

 

[KittyVentura]

I HATE the arguement, which I saw on the news, that "it's the government's fault" because the kids have nothing to do and they need to get them off the streets. I don't riot and turn to crime when bored. It's the PARENT'S job to provide their children with things to do and to bring them up in a way that they understand that this behaviour is NEVER right. Don't blame the government for a generation of kids brought up in a lazy parenting style on council estates.

It's making me so angry. STOP blaming people and accept that bad parenting and kids being dragged up with no discipline and allowed to roam the streets with no limits is behind this now. It's got nothing to do with the reason for protesting on Saturday. It's a bunch of thugs jumping on he chance to cause some chaos and smash stuff up. The EXACT same kind of kids that smash up your local bus-stop and graffiti.

This morning every parent of a youth who was out last night needs to take responsibility. Check your kid's rooms for any sudden new products and get them on lockdown for tonight. The police can only do so much. Take some fecking responsibility for your thuggish spawn!!

Sad thing is that I bet LOADS of the parents probably encouraged their kids to get out there and will use the stolen goods themselves rather than handing them in and reporting their kid. If I EVER found that Fin had played a part if somethignb like this you BET I'd march him straight down to a police station and report him myself!

 

[TennisGal]

It's always the Gvts fault...irrespective of which party is in power! Convenient scape goats!

We've got a generation of young people who think they are 'owed' something. I partly blame the whole celeb culture, teaching that we are all somehow entitled to that material lifestyle.

What we've also got is a generation of people who have no respect and just don't care. There are no major consequences to their actions, so they just don't care. We are too soft...hug a hoody?! I, truly, think we need to bring back a bit of hard labour or public humiliation. You forfeit your right to be treated like a fellow human being when you behave like a pack animal.

It's parents - but I think also a chronic lack of youth services doesn't help.

 

[TennisGal]

Oops. Posted before I was finished!

I would do exactly the same with Lizzie...but I am pretty sure many of these parents either don't care or are too weary to try and continue the discipline. I wouldn't be surprised if some were too scared.

 

[Zoex89x]

It wouldn't surprise me if some of these parents are on the verge of being proud tbh, where u used to live there was all these kids (12-20yr olds) who were constantly mouthing off at everyone and their parents who clearly never worked used to just sit in thier front garden smoking drugs, there kids one day kept kicking thier football through our open window of our lounge and the first time I don't know how it missed our then 5month dd we told them please be careful our dd is in the lounge so instead they purposely started aiming it through the window my dh then got annoyed and said he would call police if they carried on and the next time the ball just hit the window and thier mum come over to get it so dh said to her could you ask them to be careful and all we got back off her was a mouthful of verbal abuse and threats that we better not ring the police or there would be trouble!!! Sorry but that is not parenting, after that we stayed with my parents until we moved because they would just stand outside our house with bottles threatening dh and if u looked anywhere near thier house the parents would just shout what u looking!!!
When we walked past to get to our house they would never stop kicking the football toward us even with our dd in our arms, once when I was on my own and pregnant again one boy kicked the football at my stomach I shouted at him and said I'm pregnant he just said er so what.... What slime there is in the world but with parents like that it's hardly a surprise

 

[Eternal]

Who's fault is it?

As a country as a whole we have a too soft approach to things, on top of that, people feeling like they are owed something.

Send off these people who are causing these problems into "real" war and see how man, clever, funny etc it is then.

We have it far too easy, people blaming the government is rubbish, this has nothing to do with spending cuts, i bet the majoirty of these poeple dont work, have never worked and have no inetntion of working, and prob add to that their parents and parents parents too. Its just some people wanting something for nothing.

Send these people off to countries with "real poverty" and then see how lucky they are in this country.

Poeple are greedy, we all look to others and think, "i want that" some people clearly think the answer is to take what isnt theres. Where as most of us (i hope) see it as something to work for.

 

[Lightworker]

Yes there is a problem with the work ethic. Also it appears that people these days have skewed versions of whats alright but it is hard to apportion blame- they probably grew up thinking its ok as they lacked proper guidance.

 

[xemmax]

Yes there is a problem with the work ethic. Also it appears that people these days have skewed versions of whats alright but it is hard to apportion blame- they probably grew up thinking its ok as they lacked proper guidance.

I agree with this.

It is hard to say who/what is to blame. It's a whole sub culture of people who don't share the same morals as the rest of society. It definitely isn't a generational thing, those asking the question of "where are their parents?" - well, their parents are with them looting.

I believe that the government has a hell of a lot to answer for. There is widespread unrest in this country - particularly poor areas and amongst the young, and they have absolutely no aspirations. They have no hope in life and nothing to lose and that is why they are prepared to act like this.

I don't believe that is WHY they are acting like this, but I believe that is what makes them just not care. They have no value, no pride in their city, and believe they have absolutely no 'future' to lose by doing what they are doing.

Why are they doing this? God knows. A mix of greed, opportunism, sheep mentality, but ultimately I believe they're doing it because they can. They have no respect for law and order and while they know that they can't be controlled, this will continue.

I also believe the media needs to put a cap on the information they are sending out. Who exactly do they think it will aid when they are reporting that our prisons are full and police out numbered?

 

[Nathyrra]

My husband and various people here have asked me about this subject. I don't know how to explain their actions. But I do think it's time the army stepped in and put them in their place.

I think the initial reason for the riots was an excuse to cause upset, and it's always a certain breed of people that come out of the woodwork when the opportunity arises. Most are sheep following the pack. Vultures, it's disgusting. They don't know the impact of what they're doing because they don't need to. They'll get a slap on the wrist (if that) and continue living their lives when this is over. Not having to worry about a business that was ruined, or a job that was lost.

And me and my hubby were just talking about moving back to England too urgh. Parasites.

 

[Natsku]

I don't think you can blame the "softly softly" approach as they take a much much more softly softly approach here (in the courts at least, the police can be hardarses and twats but once you get past them its a slap on the wrist for most things) and people don't go rioting in the streets.
I think its a combination of high rich/poor divide, poor parenting and youth unemployment with nothing to lose. We have a very high youth unemployment here but young people are taken care of with benefits and free education to further themselves so there isn't the same resentment. There's also mob mentality, once it gets started its easy for some people to get caught up in it and things to escalate out of control.
I'm sure there are much more complexities that I'm not aware of as I no longer live in the UK as well.

 

[KatieB]

Well thanks for coming back off your ridiculously long MPs holiday to tell us that the riots are "sheer criminality", Theresa May. Really?!! We'd never have guessed at that, would we? The government are a joke, like so many others have said and the old Tory rich/poor divide is becoming more apparent every day which exacerbates an already completely disaffected youth (although not just youth) who don't give two shits about their own lives let alone anyone elses.

 

[trgirl308]

I don't watch the news much so I won't pretend to understand what caused this. But definitely the mob mentality plays a huge part. That scares me so much because it can happen anywhere. But I also think, that amongst the youth, participating in something like this is seen as cool. You are actively participating in a moment in history and not letting it pass you by. Don't get me wrong I am not whatsoever condoning any of their actions, but I think it can be easy to understand how youth possibly with lesser education and too much time on their hands can get swept up in these events. And all that being taken advantage of by 'vultures' as someone else put it. People who were already and will still be criminals are taking advantage of the situation for their own profit. It is sad because it endangers ppl and is a huge cost to individual shop owners and things like that.

I agree the army should step in, if there are not enough police then that is what the army is for.

I hope this clears up soon for anyone who lives there.

 

[tu123]

I HATE the arguement, which I saw on the news, that "it's the government's fault" because the kids have nothing to do and they need to get them off the streets. I don't riot and turn to crime when bored. It's the PARENT'S job to provide their children with things to do and to bring them up in a way that they understand that this behaviour is NEVER right. Don't blame the government for a generation of kids brought up in a lazy parenting style on council estates.

It's making me so angry. STOP blaming people and accept that bad parenting and kids being dragged up with no discipline and allowed to roam the streets with no limits is behind this now. It's got nothing to do with the reason for protesting on Saturday. It's a bunch of thugs jumping on he chance to cause some chaos and smash stuff up. The EXACT same kind of kids that smash up your local bus-stop and graffiti.

This morning every parent of a youth who was out last night needs to take responsibility. Check your kid's rooms for any sudden new products and get them on lockdown for tonight. The police can only do so much. Take some fecking responsibility for your thuggish spawn!!

Sad thing is that I bet LOADS of the parents probably encouraged their kids to get out there and will use the stolen goods themselves rather than handing them in and reporting their kid. If I EVER found that Fin had played a part if somethignb like this you BET I'd march him straight down to a police station and report him myself!

Totally agree. You can not generalize as not all children of thugs become thugs BUT bad parenting and poverty is the likely cause. Kids dont get punished anymore. NO never seems to be no. This kids are the result of poor education (because they never went to school, weren't taught at home or have behavioural issues), poverty and their environment. These kids are brought up to think they can get anything for nothing, it is their right to do what they want and they wont get in THAT much trouble anyway.

Education really plays a part. My mother was a druggie and usedto go out stealing with her drugpot boyfriends. My brother and sister both took the same path. It was different for me and i account for that to getting a scholarship to a good school and getting a thorough education. I learnt all my values at school. My bro and sis went to a run down state school with lots of other impoverished children and are now just like my mother. I have nothng to do with them.

I went for a walk to my nearby town to look at the devastation after monday night. It was a mess. It makes me angry

I spoke to a few mummy pals about whether they think they would take their child to the police in this instance. Most said no as they would worry about their child's future. I expect this would now be the case today as well as the parents benefiting from the loot, as you suggested.

Sadly tho, i expect most of these poeple will get away with it.

 

[littlestar85]

It's mindless mob mentality which is thriving in this particular generation of 'deprived' youths. Although they're not actually deprived as everything is actually handed to them on a plate, no effort required. They have been raised badly by parents who were raised badly and they have this skewed idea that they DESERVE respect when in fact they need to EARN it. They were raised that way and will raise their children that way.

It's disgusting but thinking about it, it was inevitable. In the last 10 years I have seen such severe changes in London, it's quite scary. When I was in my teens the bad kids were the ones who smoked weed and graffittid, now they are the ones on harder drugs who stab each other! It's insane. When you get a bus at school time the top deck is always full of foul mouthed school kids acting as threatening as they possibly can do just for the sake of it.

There are no consequences for bad behaviour throughout their childhood so they grow up feeling fearless. Combine that with the 'anti police' feeling amongst uneducated families who are involved in criminality and you just get a generation of stupid, angry kids who don't know right from wrong and know they are ruining any chance of a future but have no idea how to fix it as they never tried at school so they have the brain cells of a fish.

Ugggggh it's just SUCH a sorry state of affairs but it really is a snapshot of what Britain is becoming. The kind of 'Britons' who appear on the news these days must really be making the rest of the world laugh out loud at us.

Water cannon, plastic bullets, let the police do what they want and lock them up, it will make London a much nicer place to be! Maybe if the army weren't out making a mess of other people's countries they could clear up some of the mess that's being made of our own country.