there's some unreal shit going on there right now but of course idiots are burning down local businesses and other pointless shit. really surprised something like this hasnt happened in the US in reaction to the past few years events

Yah, poverty caused it. Sorry that rich people dont just hand over their wealth because you think life is unfair.

I am sure poor immigrants who come to the USA will be doing this. Oh wait, no, they will just go to college or work hard to improve their lives. Opps.

It's pretty eerie. Add on the recent Congress ridiculousness which makes people lose complete faith in the power of a vote and what else do they have to turn to?

The riot you are referencing is because a father got shot. I don't know the full details, nor do I give a shit. Someone gets killed and you loot and riot? Yeah, that makes sense.

A nation that allows shit like this to happen is a nation that invites more of it to happen. This is not a peaceful protest or demonstration. It is completely destructive and harmful. Dispatch the military and make anyone caught in these riots serve hard jail time. Send a message that this will not be tolerated.

http://imgur.com/KVvgW

Yeah, this guy looks like he is oppressed and rioting out of poverty and oppression.

Lock and load people.

That is the lamest riot police I've ever seen.

Oh really? You are upset about a father being shot and you decide to rob and steal?

When you lose faith you protest. You sit in. You march. You do not burn, riot and loot and harm innocent people. That is what criminals do. And how did they lose hope?

"The disturbances were preceded by the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Mark Duggan by police on 4 August 2011 during a planned arrest in which one officer was injured.[14] Friends and relatives of Duggan, an alleged cocaine dealer and member of the 'Star Gang', stated that he was unarmed.[13] The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) stated that a non-police-issue handgun was later recovered at the scene.[15]

Wow, so they dont deny he was a gang member and a coke dealer, just that he was unarmed.

Let me see. Cops killed a scumbag and the people rise up and destroy shit because they are angry at the system that doesn't help drug dealers and gang members excel in life.

Yeah right.

Tell me how well that's been working here.

Working where dude? What are you talking about?

The cops shot a suspected drug dealer and gang member. The whole story has not come out. I haven't seen anyone deny him being in a gang or dealing drugs, just that he was unarmed.

So let me get this straight. The cops kill a criminal and that gives people the right to go ape shit? The UK provides far more services and entitlements than the US does. Please tell me what basis these people have to go nuts and destroy towns.

Free healthcare, welfare, low cost, subsidize college. What else do they want.

These people are flat out criminals. Nothing else. This is not Egypt, this is not Syria, this is a bunch of spoiled babies destroying a nation that takes care of them.

Makes me sick.

Um yeah dude.

It is ok to protest whenever you want. It is not ok to riot and loot. How you can read these comments and take away the message that it is not ok to protest is beyond me. What is happening is criminal, not civil.

I didn't mention anything about entitlements, not sure where you got that from. Please get off your soapbox. I asked you if you thought protesting here (I'm assuming you're from the US) has been effective. Have protests against bailouts, raising the debt ceiling, health care reform, or any other recent issues done a single thing so far? I completely agree that people should be addressing things in a more peaceful manner but feel that when events like this occur that there needs to be a strong look at the various systems that people place their trust in. You aren't going to have a reaction like this if it's a one-off situation and people are otherwise content with their situations. When people have lost hope (like in the police protecting them), are in desperate situations, and basically have nothing to lose, a normally passed over situation like a police shooting will serve as a catalyst for an event like this.

Edit: Don't get me wrong, there are absolute scumbag opportunists using situations like this just to cause shit by looting and whatever the fuck but the initial reaction to the shooting is what I'm primarily addressing. Crowd mentality will always take over and this is a perfect example of that.

Yes, protesting does work.

The Tea Party is pretty damn grass roots and has influenced budget cuts and the debt ceiling. You need to realize that just because a protest doesn't cause something to be done, doesnt mean it failed.

It also doesn't mean the protesters values are shared by all.

The UK is what I like to call a Nanny State. There is no reason for the poor to bitch about anything since their entire existence is subsidized by working people. I feel the same way in the USA and we don't give the poor half what is giving in the UK.

Also, this is about destruction and stealing. These people are robbing stores, burning buildings and hurting innocent people. When you cross that line your movement loses all moral authority.

I am sorry, what is happening in the UK is disgusting and nothing more than a parent letting a spoiled child out of control. Break out the dogs, the riot police and the stun guns and put these criminals down and send them to jail for a long as time. Weakness in the face of violence always fails.

What are you talking about this was obviously not an ok time to protest. One old man gets shot and everyone flies off the handle. Yeah that makes sense.

And I agree protesting does change things. Looting and pointlessly burning shit does not. It only pisses people off and causes an even bigger divide in an already uneasy society.

The Tea Party STARTED OUT grassroots and was quickly taken over by outside interests. The minimal budget cuts and debt ceiling compromises they have influenced are a drop in the bucket. However, the hardline, no compromise attitude that was shown through these recent debates does nothing to help their constituents. I definitely side with their ideals more than other parties but I am fully able to recognize that the political process works on compromise and that an attitude that places ideology before results will not have a great outcome.

Wow, yay, awareness was raised through some pointless protest. People like to see results.

Entitlements are a trap and only serve as an attempt to pacify people in exchange for votes. The worst thing about entitlements is that people do not realize that they are the very thing that is holding them back. While their "entire existence" may be subsidized, it's hard for people living under such a system that the very "benefits" that they're receiving places a pretty large barrier on their social mobility.

I don't see where I disagreed with any of this. What I'm saying is that while a situation like this needs to be dealt with swiftly and effectively, saying "well these people are savages, throw them in jail or shoot them and all will be solved" and not taking a good look at the underlying root of the problem will only cause future riots to be even worse. These types of things do not happen without existing social and economic problems and I think it's important to not overlook them. That's all I'm saying.

This article just gives you a general recap of the latest riots in london:
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1035994--u-k-police-arrest-mor...

But one quote inside I thought pretty much summed up why these people are in the streets:

“It’s just stupid. It’s just kids messing around,” said one witness who asked not to be named. “There’s just nothing for them to do.”

Coming from someone who has actually lived in London I can say that these scumbag kids have always been a pain in the ass and the US has NOTHING to compare to it. They are largely Black/Pakistani youth gangs who literally do nothing all day but hang out on street corners yelling at people and protecting their "hood". Their "hood" ironically are council run housing projects that these assholes live in for free. Its nausea inducing. They are destroying neighborhoods that the government has poured money into to give these people a chance, if they want to destroy it then fine, you are on your own now.

It has gotten to the point where I literally don't care if they just gunned these people down. Also, don't let the BBC tell you otherwise, these kids are basically all black.

Britain has gone so soft they won't even allow water cannons. People are not even allowed to defend themselves without fear of getting charges brought against them. I am not a big fan of guns, but this riot is destroying huge parts of one of the worlds greatest cities, gun the bastards down.

Whoa. For once we agree on something.

awm is one of the few more liberal commenters on here who has common sense. I like his often decent and polite arguments. It's not FUCKING TEABAGGERS!?@!?$%^$%^#%@#%

AWM, did someone hijack your account? I don't believe you wrote this! Nevertheless, I absolutely agree.

No, Britain and the US are very different in this regard. My views on matters such as this differ greatly when we speak about them with regards to the UK.

Completely agree. They're 90% black. Oddly enough, I didnt see a single Pakistani out there so perhaps your experiences were different to mine. As I was getting out of work today, I saw a group of about 50 teenagers, all black running past me, with balaclavas on, heading towards the nearest electrical goods store. To my surprise, following them was a group of middle-aged black women, screaming about wanting a new 'sat-nav'. To anyone who says, the kids have nothing to do, I seriously would like to beat the shit out of them. The biggest cop-out you will ever hear.

Our Home Secretary, Theresa May, won't allow any force to be used by the police. Covering their asses after the student riots earlier this year and the fact that this whole episode started on the back of a random dude being killed by police.

I love how our leaders, David Cameron and the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, are having to be persuaded to abandon holidays and attend the mess that London is at the moment.

Theresa May shouldn't have gotten out of bed. Completely useless woman who uses empty rhetoric. "its totally unacceptable, I repeat, it wont be tolerated" GREAT BITCH DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

^^^haha, thx

Social mobility?! You're shitting me right? Acting like mindless thugs is considered social mobility? So they're allowed to express themselves by causing damage to people's livelihoods?

Dude, these people are stupid enough to attack their local job centres, that actually provide those very benefits you mention, all in the name of liberty and justice, and you claim its their social mobility. Give me a break.

With the gangster culture that is prevalent within boroughs in London, I shudder to think what the situation would be if having firearms was the norm.