The UK August Riots - Dramatization Screened

A fascinating dramatization of what happened in sections of London during the August riots has been screened on Channel 4.
This can be viewed on-line (I don't know if this will be accessible to those outside the UK)
It's definitely worth watching and gives a good sense of what was happening. They created the drama from witnesses involved in the events of the final night, and without the input from the police (ie less chance of propaganda).

Londons Burning

I think it goes a good way to show that this was not a protest about anything. There were no political ideals involved, and there was no justification for the events that unfolded.

One of the most interesting aspects of this drama was the apparent obstacles the local police experienced in getting back-up for their area, even though intel clearly suggested that their area would be hit hard.
In my opinion this is just more evidence that there was a coordinated lack of response, allowing the violence to spread and create some great news footage to scare the public into accepting anything.

We are now looking at legislation being introduced to permit live rounds to be used against the public. The Met is already seeking to buy water cannons before the legislation has even been approved.
It seems that the majority of the public have indeed fallen for it, crying out for armed officers to start mowing people down without considering how the new legislation could be abused (just like every piece of legislation brought in to "protect the public").

Aside from promoting discussion about the events and the possible use of the riots to ramp up fear in the public - and therefore justify lethal force in the future - I wanted to discuss what other options there are to deal with riots on this scale and present my own ideas.

While this was unfolding, we were discussing with our neighbors the possibility of creating a defense in our street to protect our homes.
Our plan with the neighbors was to operate a shift system to guard and patrol our street. Indeed, this seemed to work in other areas as communities banded together and armed themselves to protect their lives and property.

But, due to the lack of adequate policing to deal with something like this, if it were to happen again in the future, would it be wise for the government to introduce the idea of forming local militias? You have it in the USA, and I actually think it would be a wise thing to introduce to the UK also.
Of course, I'm not suggesting for a moment that these militias should be armed, they should simply be recognized groups of volunteers who are provided with a small level of police training or back up, working in a community to act in instances of a national emergency relating to social unrest.

While many of us are expecting to see more unrest in the future, policing is being cut. If we see another event of such massive civil unrest again, we most certainly will not be able to deal with it without enlisting the help of citizens.

Your thoughts?

I can't watch it cause I'm in the USA

hi op

ive always said these riots were orchestrated
and our tiny island is one massive prison camp
just takes time to take over
britain stock up now
learn your history and take heed from ww2 "make do and mend"
grow your own now, for that it is coming to
especially the bad weather thats supposed to hit us soon

as a another members sig says
"if im wrong,im wrong, but what if im right"

Originally posted by mnmcandiez
I can't watch it cause I'm in the USA

You should definitely keep an eye out for it on YouTube or other places. It's well worth watching and is really a good representation of what really happened. There's a lot of real footage from the events that unfolded, and some of those affected who had their shops destroyed took part in its creation.

One of the highlights was seeing Tottenham police trying to get reinforcements to deal with it. It took so long, and seemingly for no reason. They had a lot of social media intelligence and 999 calls coming in, and still waited before backup was sent. It basically suggests that Tottenham was abandoned by the Met and that the situation was allowed to worsen.
This is especially strange considering they had reinforcements from across the country.

In my own opinion it just reinforces the suggestion that there was an orchestrated plan to allow it to continue. And it has worked too, with people lining up to grant the police the power to become militarized.

Thanks, for the link, I wanted to watch this but missed it. Maybe I'll watch it after Christmas, don't want to replace a christmasy buzz with scenes of rioting depression.

I think it was just opportunism, mostly (not entirely) by bored youth who have been raised with a self-centred nihilistic attitude and a lack of discipline or any real sense of community. Funny how the police failed so spectacularly, and so soon after the announcement of further police cuts...

I saw this, they omitted some very key evidence. They didnt show the rioters arriving in the coaches, they didnt show the rioters communicating by two ways radios. They didnt show that the police were, in their own words "stood down". There a so many other facts they missed out on also, like, people offering kids money to burn down buildings.

Etc....

The "riots" were all part of the game ... think about it , if were all walking around smacked up on chems all day , being a neat guy and acting all swell .... they dont have a reason to have the armed forces on the streets to keep you "safe"........ but if the idiots act like animals now and again, which they always do thanks to the BBC and friends, they can slowly bring in new laws or get rid of laws. Meaning if we take offence to being forced to live like northern Ireland was, we cant do a thing about it, we`ll just ... get shot.

What`s David(dicknose)Cameron been up to lately ? ... changing laws ..... they ok`d live ammunition in "riot" situations. At a time when unemployment is at its highest since the 70s and is about to get higher , whilst prices keep going up , Europe and America keep pushing us for money , most of us are borderline homeless , theyre now talking about breaking up Britain like they built the place themselves .... and NOW they say we`ll get shot if we riot.

In other words , we need to stop pretending we care about the sh`te these people talk , stop mincing about wearing masks at "occupy" and just fcuking do something about it .

Originally posted by CountOfMonteCristo
I think it was just opportunism, mostly (not entirely) by bored youth who have been raised with a self-centred nihilistic attitude and a lack of discipline or any real sense of community. Funny how the police failed so spectacularly, and so soon after the announcement of further police cuts...

I entirely agree on the causes and behavior of those involved, but I don't think that affects the likelihood of the Met and government to manipulate it to their own ends. And I agree that it was pretty interesting to see it happening while the police were facing cuts. It does make me wonder what the military are willing to do to secure their own funding too.

I certainly condemn the actions of those rioters, and while I was watching it I was indeed moved to call for a harsh response. I think we DO need to be able to tackle these instances properly, with adequate force, but I refute that the use of deadly force should be sanctioned.

I'm also very concerned about any such laws being able to be used against genuine protest. You and I can clearly see the difference between actual political protest (violent or otherwise) and mindless looting and violence, but would the police be able to make that distinction, and would they refuse orders if they had doubts about the motivations of those they are instructed to fire on?

For instance, there is the suggestion that live rounds could be used against a person threatening the lives of others. And yet we have seen the police suggest on previous protests that the mere presence of a protest is a threat to the lives of police officers.

So, you have protesters marching against a genuine injustice, then police claiming that their protest is a "danger to public safety", the police have the authority to open fire, which then creates a backlash... you see how such a simple law could turn what would otherwise be a regular protest into something far more destabilizing.

I still think this is preparation for the expected collapse of the €. The government knows that if we see massive civil unrest as a result of it they will need some draconian measures to put it down.

Ultimately it comes down to that old saying that a people should not fear their government, the government should fear the people. We are now seeing evidence that the government does indeed fear the people, and there must be a reason for that fear.

Originally posted by DiddlyDeePotatoes
In other words , we need to stop pretending we care about the sh`te these people talk , stop mincing about wearing masks at "occupy" and just fcuking do something about it .

edit on 23-12-2011 by DiddlyDeePotatoes because: 70s

I disagree.
Peaceful protest is by far more powerful than violent uprising. As people see the peaceful protesters being beaten the see the true unjust nature of the policing and government response and it swells support. The more the uniformed thugs beat the innocent the more people will be up in arms against it.
This forces change because the government then fears a growing sentiment of anti-government feeling amongst the population, with everything they do to stop it being seen as an attack.

It might have been different a few decades ago, but now we are all able to record and spread the evidence of their actions, and this has the potential to create a tidal wave of support for any protest. This is also why they are trying to implement internet controls and attempting to censor Google.

However, although I personally believe that peaceful protest is the way forward, the civil unrest will be out of control when the € collapses. I don't believe protest to change government will be the problem, I believe there will be food riots and raids on banks.

But, that's why I plan to keep an eye on what's happening and get to the shop three minutes down the road to buy up what I need before the people catch on and panic

reply to post by detachedindividual


I very much share your concerns about the government using lethal force to quell legitimate protests. With rising unemployment, and the working class being shafted to hell under Hug-a-Hoodie and his bankster bosses, I expect that the number of strikes and protests will increase greatly. I'm not sure if there are too many police or soldiers who will want to open fire on non-violent protestors though, to be honest; or at least I hope not. Police-community relations are bad enough already.

I don't normally watch TV, I just keep it for if visitors come over, but I'm gonna see if I can catch this programme on the i-player.

reply to post by detachedindividual


Ok ,so whats it going to take ? the army in the streets ? people being shot down for not "complying" ..... not in England , not whilst i`m still breathing. I`m sick of this "lets all just talk" sh1te , if were going to pick up the peices of our countries, we need to take power first, and i`m taking a big guess and saying David Cameron wont just scuttle off back into the wood work , so ... whats it going to take ? should i buy a gay fawkes mask and swear at the soldiers pointing guns at my face next year ? because .... for some reason , i dont like the idea.

I agree with the idea of an army of 1,000,000 + civillians storming 10 downing street , dragging everybody out by their hair ( or ears) , packing their things and banning them from Britain. Then telling the Queen to jog on , she does nothing anyway , just sponges off us ... the Royals should be seen in the same light as benefit cheats.