by By ALEXANDER COCKBURN - Counterpunch Sat Aug 13, 2011 09:26

What’s a riot without looting? We want it, they’ve got it!  You’d think from the press that looting was alien to British tradition, imported by immigrants more recent than the Normans. Not so. Gavin Mortimer, author of http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1849084246/count...hmaga, had an amusing piece in the First Post about the conduct of Britons at the time of their Finest Hour:

“It didn't take long for a hardcore of opportunists to realise there were rich pickings available in the immediate aftermath of a raid – and the looting wasn't limited to civilians.

“In October 1940 Winston Churchill ordered the arrest and conviction of six London firemen caught looting from a burned-out shop to be hushed up by Herbert Morrison, his Home Secretary. The Prime Minister feared that if the story was made public it would further dishearten Londoners struggling to cope with the daily bombardments…

“The looting was often carried out by gangs of children organized by a Fagin figure; he would send them into bombed-out houses the morning after a raid with orders to target coins from gas meters and display cases containing First World War medals. In April 1941 Lambeth juvenile court dealt with 42 children in one day, from teenage girls caught stripping clothes from dead bodies to a seven-year-old boy who had stolen five shillings from the gas meter of a damaged house. In total, juvenile crime accounted for 48 per cent of all arrests in the nine months between September 1940 and May 1941 and there were 4,584 cases of looting.

“Joan Veazey, whose husband was a vicar in Kennington, south London, wrote in her diary after one raid in 1940: "The most sickening thing was to see people like vultures, picking up things and taking them away. I didn't like to feel that English people would do this, but they did."

“Perhaps the most shameful episode of the whole Blitz occurred on the evening of March 8 1941 when the Cafe de Paris in Piccadilly was hit by a German bomb. The cafe was one of the most glamorous night spots in London, the venue for off-duty officers to bring their wives and girlfriends, and within minutes of its destruction the looters moved in.

"Some of the looters in the Cafe de Paris cut off the people's fingers to get the rings," recalled Ballard Berkeley, a policeman during the Blitz who later found fame as the 'Major' in Fawlty Towers. Even the wounded in the Cafe de Paris were robbed of their jewellery amid the confusion and carnage.”

A revolution is not a tea party, sniffed Lenin, but he should have added that it often starts off with a big party. Perhaps he was acknowledging that when he said a revolution was “a festival of the oppressed.” After the storming of the Winter Palace  in October 1917 everyone was drunk for three days, conduct of which the prissy Vladimir Illich no doubt heartily disapproved.

The riots in London last week started in Tottenham in an area with the highest unemployment in London, in response to the police shooting a young black man, in a country where black people are 26 times more likely to stopped and searched by the cops than whites. Stop-and-searches are allowed under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, introduced to deal with football hooligans. It allows police to search anyone in a designated area without specific grounds for suspicion. Use of Section 60 has risen more than 300 per cent  between 2005 and last year. In 1997/98 there were 7,970 stop-and-searches, increasing to 53,250 in 2007/08 and 149,955 in 2008/09. Between 2005/06 and 2008/09 the number of Section 60 searches of black people rose by more than 650 per cent.

 

ARTICLE CONTINUED..............

http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn08122011.html

by T Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:06

Interesting to read about children looting in 1940 after nights of Luftwaffe bombing; but what is the point or 'moral' of your story? Were the children of Tottenham in 2011 on the same moral level as the children of 1940? Did the poverty among the children in 1940 and 2011 somehow 'explain' the looting? Or are you simply telling us that looting of shops in London (in 1940 including the gas meters of bombed homes) by children as young as 8 or 9 is not without precedent and therefore not something to be astounded by?

I was amazed at the riots and looting in London, Birmingham and elsewhere in recent days. Am I morally outraged? Well, yes, some of the youngsters (in their own words) were doing it for the hell of it and 'cos 'the cops can't stop us'. There was initially in Tottenham some local anger at the police shooting of Duggan; but the copycat riots elsewhere weren't based on that anger. Some of the destruction has added to the redundancy figures, with small businesses gone up in flames.

Of course there is widespread urban blight; there are Sink Estates; there is mass subliteracy and zero social prospects for communities affected by these blights. We have several suburbs in Dublin, Limerick, Sligo, Galway and elsewhere where big percentages of deprived communities face zero prospects for social advancement. The drugs plague and gang murdering add to the blight. Ignoring them now and continually breeds trouble and destruction in the future.

But again, I would like to know the point of the article that begins this thread.

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party Sun Aug 14, 2011 12:13

..better than I do.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25974

by P. Rennan Mon Aug 15, 2011 02:26

My question was, what is the point of your story somehow linking 1940 children looting gas meters from bombed London homes to the children who went looting shops recently in Tottenham in 2011? I referred to the post at the beginning of the comments by one Alexander Cockburn, and hope he can answer.

by T Mon Aug 15, 2011 18:25

Across the entire media spectrum the opinions are now flying thicker and faster than the half-bricks were just two nights ago. So here’s SchNEWS’ half-assed crack at explaining the recent turmoil on the streets of the U.K.

The recent riots are far too complex for a simple explanation (Maybe it’s just something about Tory governments and Royal Weddings). The facts aren’t all in yet by any means. The riots certainly weren’t ‘pure criminality’ but neither were they anything like a politicised insurrection.

Riots in different parts of the country and even different parts of the capital each had their own flavour. If they had one thing in common it was the fact that they didn’t happen in the estates – the fight was taken to the High St. Hatred of the cops and the possibility of free stuff on a long summer’s evening proved to be an intoxicating mixture. As an aside – both the footage and the roll-call of those in court right now show – this was a long way from race riot - black and white can unite – if only to loot Foot Locker.

 

ARTICLE CONTINUED....

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/08/483413.html

by Jimmy Cliff Tue Aug 16, 2011 19:03

Jimmy Cliff "Guns of Brixton" http://soundcloud.com/jimmycliffmusic/guns-of-brixton

by T Wed Aug 17, 2011 01:06

Recently on the nights of the London riots, I watched the coverage by Sky News of the burning buildings in Crydon. SkyNews showed the burning buildings there and during the course of the coverage, the initially started and caught hold in just one building and then spread from that one building to the entire block. At no point were there any police or fire brigade there. In fact when I think about it SkyNews (owner Rupert phone hacking Murdoch) were well placed for the entire burning and for displaying it to the public. Anyway during the entire coverage at no point were any police or fire brigade present and indeed I recall wondering why no-one had showed up to either contain or put out the fire.

My own conclusion is that this was done intentionally so as to manipulate public anger and direct attention away from the underlying social problems and to allow hysteria to develop so that they could use the narrative that this was just completely about criminal thugs. The thing to realize is that we (Europe) are really only at the very early stages of this depression and there will be far greater cuts to social services and much bigger increases in unemployment. The governments know full well what lies ahead and the sort of actions they will be taking, so it is essential for them to prepare for this by distracting from the underlying cause -which is a huge criminal theft by the financial class and transfer of wealth to the super rich.

This riot was clearly going to be sparked off sooner or later whatever the incident to ignite it was. Therefore it was a good opportunity to let things get out of hand and use it first as a trial run for the police for the riots ahead and as a propaganda assault. Having said all of that whoever did start the fires certainly were wrong and indeed it is criminal. But it is also wrong, which the media does, to imply that all those rioting are somehow are responsible for setting the fire.

Lastly one cannot rule out that some of these fires were not in fact started by agent provocateurs. There seems to be no end of dirty tricks that will be used by the state and we can't rule this out here

We should also compare and contrast the treatment of the financial elite which have effectively burned down the entire economy and have fleeced the public of 100s of billions of pounds. No mention that they are scum and fewer still going to jail or judges sitting up all night to try their cases.

 

by Rational Ecologist. Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:25

All the rioters wore the brands and uniform of a consumerist system that they don't have the means to be part of. A radical questioning of our value systems is needed. Today Tottenham in flames, tomorrow the Amazon. 

by from Naomi Klein - The Nation Wed Aug 17, 2011 21:28

I keep hearing comparisons between the London riots and riots in other European cities—window smashing in Athens or car bonfires in Paris. And there are parallels, to be sure: a spark set by police violence, a generation that feels forgotten.

But those events were marked by mass destruction; the looting was minor. There have, however, been other mass lootings in recent years, and perhaps we should talk about them too. There was Baghdad in the aftermath of the US invasion—a frenzy of arson and looting that emptied libraries and museums. The factories got hit too. In 2004 I visited one that used to make refrigerators. Its workers had stripped it of everything valuable, then torched it so thoroughly that the warehouse was a sculpture of buckled sheet metal.

Back then the people on cable news thought looting was highly political. They said this is what happens when a regime has no legitimacy in the eyes of the people. After watching for so long as Saddam and his sons helped themselves to whatever and whomever they wanted, many regular Iraqis felt they had earned the right to take a few things for themselves. But London isn’t Baghdad, and British Prime Minister David Cameron is hardly Saddam, so surely there is nothing to learn there

 

ARTICLE CONTINUED....

http://www.thenation.com/article/162809/daylight-robber...bbery

by ALARM! (All London Anarchist Revolutionary Movement) Thu Aug 18, 2011 21:32

Statement from ALARM! (All London Anarchist Revolutionary Movement) On Sunday 15th May 2011 nearly 80 radicals came together to form ALARM! The All London Anarchist Revolutionary Movement.

Understanding The Riots – Where Next? Since last Saturday, a situation has escalated around the UK, with eruptions of long-repressed anger in most major cities. Whilst this anger may have certainly, at times, taken on forms that we disapprove of, we all know where this anger comes from. We are all suffering at the moment. Trying to make ends meet can be a living nightmare – benefits, jobs and healthcare going down the drain whilst the cost of housing and living rises sharply. Not to mention systematic Police harassment on our streets, daily injustice and deaths in police custody. For those right at the bottom of the pile, the young and unemployed, it seems like everything they were brought up on was false. The promise of easy credit, easy access to consumer goods, an education and social support. All this just disappears into smoke when the rich decide we don’t deserve it anymore; when they are desperate to save their system from the consequences of their own greed. We condemn: * The police, the political elite and the media for creating an atmosphere of fear, justifying greater state repression. * The opportunism of the EDL/BNP and other far right groups We refuse to condemn: * People who looted high street chain stores, pawn shops, betting shops, banks and other symbols of capitalism. * People who attacked the police, police property, courts, probation services and other symbols of the state. We are inspired by: * All the people who stood up for each other in the face of attack by the police and other violent gangs * The communities that stood outside preventing arson to neighbouring flats, houses and locally-owned businesses

Read all at http://towerhamletsalarm.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/under...next/ + on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Alarmists

ALARM! (All London Anarchist Revolutionary Movement)

Stop the looting

by Circled A Radio Show Thu Aug 18, 2011 21:50

The Circled A Radio Show : A weekly radio show aired on Tuesdays at 9pm. A variety of Guests from the public eye and others yet to be heard. Turn on, tune in and kick off on Resonance 104.4 FM. or online http://resonancefm.com/listen ALARM (All London Anarchist Revolutionary Movement) and Friends give opinions, eye witness accounts and personal analysis on the continuing rioting that has gripped the city and spread across the country. One Hour Special.

Listen Now: http://thecircleda.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/10th-aug...l.mp3

Infos: http://thecircleda.com/2011/08/10/show-15-10-8-2011-lon...cial/

http://thecircleda.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/10th-august-2011-london-riots-special.mp3

The Circled A Radio Show : London Riots Special

by YOUTUBE 10 mins Wed Aug 31, 2011 19:30

YOUTUBE 10 mins

TOTTENHAM RIOTS AND COMMENT - AFTER THE SHOOTING OF MARK DUGGAN (LONDON) 6-7-8/8/2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiCiJWcT4W4

by ‘Tottenham Burned’ Wed Sep 07, 2011 10:30

‘Tottenham Burned’ - a song about the recent Tottenham riot, written and sung by the ever brilliant Robb Johnson.

http://vimeo.com/28605594

by Guardian Duggan Wed Sep 07, 2011 20:27

Mark Duggan family accuse police of operating a 'shoot to kill' policy

Relatives of Tottenham man whose death during arrest sparked London riots say questions remain over why he was fatally shot.

The family of Mark Duggan, who was shot by police. From left: his girlfriend, Semone Wilson, his father Bruno, brother Shaun and mother Pam. Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian

The family of Mark Duggan, the Tottenham man whose death in a police shooting last month sparked five days of widespread riot and disorder, believe officers were operating a "shoot to kill" policy.

Duggan's brother, Shaun Hall, 42, said ahead of Duggan's funeral on Friday: "The police were clearly operating a shoot to kill policy that day. They are supposed to disable, not kill, suspects. If they hadn't shot and killed Mark there would have been no riots."

The family, in exclusive interviews with the Guardian, said they had been told that the bullet fired at Duggan's chest after officers intercepted the taxi he was travelling in, would have killed him in seven to 12 seconds, giving him no prospect of surviving.

They are devastated by his loss and distraught at the misinformation initially put out that the incident in Ferry Lane in Tottenham, north London, was a "shootout".

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which is investigating the killing on 4 August, confirmed the two shots that were fired were from a CO19 firearms officer.

The family say they have been told there was no forensic evidence of Duggan's fingerprints on the non-police issue gun recovered at the scene of the shooting, and they have many unanswered questions. The Guardian has established from sources outside the family that the gun was found inside a sock.

ARTICLE CONTINUED............
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/sep/07/mark-duggan-fa...olice

by Duggan bro Wed Oct 05, 2011 18:44

The brother of Mark Duggan, the Tottenham man whose death in a police shooting in August sparked five days of rioting and disorder across England, has said the family has been "ripped apart" by the killing and called on those involved to face justice.

Shaun Hall fought back tears as he told a public meeting on Wednesday that the family were prepared to give the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) a chance to show its "impartiality and independence" in its enquiry into his brother's death.

"Let's have them prove to this country, this nation, internationally, that this is a civilised country and we can come to the right conclusions," he said.

Speaking at the launch of the Tottenham Defence Campaign, which aims to offer legal support and advice to young people in the Haringey area caught up in August's riots, Hall said the family were still struggling to come to terms with what had happened.

"We were told there were 31 police officers involved in the sting on my brother. I call it an assassination," said Hall. "What had my brother done so wrong to deserve this assassination, please tell me?"

Hall, who was flanked by Duggan's partner, Semone Wilson, described his brother as a "good man" although "no angel".

"We are normal people … I miss my brother, we all miss my brother, we are a large family which at the moment, as you can imagine, is being ripped apart."

ARTICLE CONTINUED.....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/05/mark-duggan-br...riots

by Duggan bro Wed Oct 05, 2011 18:44

The brother of Mark Duggan, the Tottenham man whose death in a police shooting in August sparked five days of rioting and disorder across England, has said the family has been "ripped apart" by the killing and called on those involved to face justice.

Shaun Hall fought back tears as he told a public meeting on Wednesday that the family were prepared to give the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) a chance to show its "impartiality and independence" in its enquiry into his brother's death.

"Let's have them prove to this country, this nation, internationally, that this is a civilised country and we can come to the right conclusions," he said.

Speaking at the launch of the Tottenham Defence Campaign, which aims to offer legal support and advice to young people in the Haringey area caught up in August's riots, Hall said the family were still struggling to come to terms with what had happened.

"We were told there were 31 police officers involved in the sting on my brother. I call it an assassination," said Hall. "What had my brother done so wrong to deserve this assassination, please tell me?"

Hall, who was flanked by Duggan's partner, Semone Wilson, described his brother as a "good man" although "no angel".

"We are normal people … I miss my brother, we all miss my brother, we are a large family which at the moment, as you can imagine, is being ripped apart."

ARTICLE CONTINUED.....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/05/mark-duggan-br...riots

by Rubber bullets Wed Nov 09, 2011 16:28

London police have got the nod of approval to use rubber bullets and water cannon in the streets of Engalnd today. It could be the first time in British mainland to use rubber bullets, they have killed 16 people in the North over the years.

The warning letters come on the back of a police briefing in which police highlighted that they had authority to fire rubber and plastic bullets – collectively known as baton rounds – at protesters.

It is believed to be the first time baton rounds have been pre-authorised for a planned protest march on the British mainland.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/08/police-warn...tests

BBC: David Willetts on baton use at student fees protest

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15657868

Livestream : http://www.livestream.com/occupylsx

Follow TWITTER channel  #nov9 : http://tinyurl.com/bo38umu

- Seems plainclothes police carrying out violent arrests in London demos. Tactics increasingly resemble those of authoritarian states https://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23nov9

- https://twitter.com/#%21/PennyRed Laurie Penny: A scuffle. Got hit in the jaw by a female police officer. Police can't control the march. #nov9

https://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23nov9Guardian Live Blog:

Student tuition fees protests

• Estimated 10,000 students expected to gather in London
• Students marching against education cuts and tripling of fees
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/blog/2011/nov/09/st...-blog

STORYFUL: Student Demo in London 9th Nov 2011
http://storify.com/soundmigration/student-demo-in-londo...-2011

London student protest 9 November 2011: Scuffles with police on new fetter lane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxSxt9yyssU

Cop letter to would be protesters

Occupy Trafalgar Square

Occupy Trafalgar Square - quickly ended by cops

Caption: Video Id: kxSxt9yyssU Type: Youtube Video
London student protest 9 November 2011: Scuffles with police on new fetter lane