I have seen way too much equivocation here about the riots and looting happening in London and other English cities. The rioters are doing nothing but mindlessly and needlessly engaging in violence, destroying communities, and ruining the neighborhoods of poor and working class families.
If this is some form of political protest with some form of message like many people here would like to believe, I challenge you to tell me what that message could possibly be, and how destroying multiethnic neighborhoods and communities with arson, vandalism, and looting could possibly forward rather than retard whatever cause is claimed.
In contrast to a current rec listed diary mocking his words, British Prime Minister David Cameron was right:
Its all too clear that we have a big problem with gangs in our country. For too long there has been a lack of focus and a complete lack of respect shown by these groups of thugs.
I am clear that they are in no way representative of the vast majority of young people in our country who despise them frankly as much as the rest of us do. But there are pockets of our society that are not just broken, but frankly sick.
When we see children as young as 12 and 13 looting and laughing, when we see the disgusting sight of an injured young man with people pretending to help him while they are robbing him, it is clear there are things that are badly wrong in our society.
For me the root cause of this mindless selfishness is the same thing I have spoken about for years: it is a complete lack of responsibility in parts of our society.
People allowed to feel that the world owes them something, that their rights outweigh their responsibilities and that their actions do not have consequences. Well they do have consequences.
When you look at the things the rioters have actually done across England, I don't see how you can mock Cameron for saying this.
I'm not going to embed a bunch of videos because it takes too long for the diary to load. But I encourage you to control-click on the links to open up a new tab and look at the BBC coverage.
HERE is a good overview of footage of the arson and looting from last night across England. Nothing but people assaulting other people, setting fires, smashing stores, and stealing TVs, electronics and other items. Near the end, note the way that a masked looter mock 'shoots' the camera man.
This already viral video shows some more of the political activists thugs at work. They are actually stealing from an already injured foreign exchange student by the name of Mohammad Asyraf, that had been previously mugged by them and is lying on the ground with his jaw broken.
What could possibly be the political purpose of destroying a 150 year old neighborhood store? A store that has employed people from the community that whole time, and sells essential items that people need?
Here is some more footage of theft and looting. You can see an immigrant family crying because their small shop has been destroyed. What political goal was accomplished here?
The title of this sad video says it all: "Riot girls brag about violence". As they say in the interview "It is all about showing the police we can do what we want."
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Among the things that make a neighborhood and community a decent place to live, access to stores and commerce has to be right near the top. Neighborhood stores give residents a place to get needed items close to home, a place to interact with their neighbors, have a place to be employed, and have a place that is vested in the success and safety of the community.
These rioters and looters, in addition to directly physically assaulting their neighbors on the street, are destroying their communities by driving out the stores and businesses - many of them small family owned and operated - that are invested there. All they are doing is condemning their neighbors and fellow citizens to less livable communities. That is a crime, a terribly selfish act, and has no political or social purpose or justification.
Why do some people insist on infusing these acts of pointless destructive violence with some larger political purpose? Can't people just sometimes be selfish, stupid, violent, and wrong? When they are injuring their neighbors, burning down their houses, and destroying their communities, I can't conceive of how it could be otherwise.