What is London rioting about exactly?

[UndertheOcean]

and is it worth it to transfer some of my focus on Syria to there ?

[Amonester]

1. Abandoned, ridiculed, harrassed by cops kids (10-20) jumping the shark

some of them wanted to protest peacefully, then the whole thing degenerated into breaking, looting, burning, etc. (probably 'insured' stuff).

The root of the problem remains 'ignored' by TPTB, and will only get worse (even if the army is called).

[HipChick]

2. A bunch of kids hijacked the country...

after being sidelined,marginalized and ignored..it was the only the could get the govts attention

[enlightenment]

4. I'll agree with you up to the "probably 'insured' stuff"

comment.

A lot of hard-working people had their lives turned upside down and many lost their homes, because they live 'above stairs' in buildings that house small businesses on the ground floor. Many were small shop owners in the very neighborhoods that these youths live in - they're not 'rich', they're not 'upper class'; they're just struggling to get by.

It is possible to appreciate the desperation and cynicism that drove a lot of these kids into the streets and still accept that many more were simply opportunist, taking advantage of the situation to wreak havoc on the community. It is possible to acknowledge that the powers that be have systematically failed large segments of British society, even before Maggie Thatcher ripped the rug from under Britain's working class, but certainly since then - and still acknowledge that the mindless anarchy of the last four days is not the best method to encourage change.

There isn't a single answer to why this happened and there won't be a single solution. Hopefully this will lead to some positives - but it will be a very difficult road to reach the place where that can happen.

[EC]

3. Started with the cops shooting

an unarmed man.

[Petrushka]

5. Timeline and map of violence indicates the riots began after police attempted to arrest a man . . .

. . . and ended up shooting and killing him when he pulled an illegal weapon on them. The shooting is still under investigation. Here's a link to the timeline, etc.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14436499


Edited to add:
In one of the many news reports, the family of Mark Duggan---the man who was killed---said that the riots have nothing to do with the shooting or the investigation.

[go west young man]

6. He was armed. He had a converted handgun.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/08/mark-duggan-handgun-lethal-weapon

Many Americans reacting to this story are ignoring the facts.
Watch the movie "Harry Brown" starring Michael Caine and see how London Yobo's really are.
They are not disenfranchised and looking for fairness. They are bad guys and always have been.
A Yobo is a term used to describe a punk, no good criminal who looks for trouble. They come in all colors.

[HipChick]

7. Incorrect..check your facts...a police commission cleared him..the police shot at themselves

executed the victim and then lied about it to cover it up..

Duggan is one of many cases

Jean Charles de Menezes another unarmed victim..

Ian Tomlinson

Numerous victims that die in while in custody in Met Police, and they lie and cover it up..easy to do with being on Murdoch payroll, and Murdoch controlling the media message

[go west young man]

10. Check yours. Here's another link to go with the one I posted above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Mark_Duggan

I'm well read on both Tomlinson and Menezes. Both were police screw ups I'll give you that but
do the math. London population roughly 8 million people. Major police screw ups in last 5 years.
2 for sure and this one doesn't count. He was a gangster with a gun. The officer was hit with his own ricochet.
If you can list those numerous victims that died I would appreciate it. London police are some of the best I've met
which is astounding considering they don't regularly carry firearms and they have to deal with so many horrible
yobs. Most of which are armed with knives. Here's a link to the IPCC report so far.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/09/mark-duggan-police-ipcc

Notice the scenario is not included. Did Mark draw the gun? Did he fight with the officers? That info is still under
investigation so neither of us know if he was innocent or guilty. Judging from the fact he was carrying the gun with
a round in the chamber it seems safe to assume he was a bad guy. Not a guy to be held up as a victim. Most likely
he victimized many people in his short time on earth.

[Supply Side Jesus]

11. don't let facts get in the way

of your lies

[Zax2me]

8. Free TV's! ....and wallets at gunpoint.

From the footage I've seen...
But, pictures could start lying, so there is that -

[Rex]

9. No idea, some say it was for revenge and others say it was

to steal from local shops. Maybe people are outraged that Rupert Murdoch controlled their govt like a meat puppet?

[Supply Side Jesus]

12. Why miss an opportunity for free shit!!

"Some men aren't looking for anything logical. He can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

[LeftishBrit]

13. No, it's nothing like Syria

It started as a protest over police in Tottenham shooting and killing Mark Duggan. They claimed that it was self defence and Duggan had shot at them/threatened them with a gun. Many people claim there was no gun, and that this was an unjustified killing. It is under formal investigation. Naturally, it aroused a lot of local anger, which started as nonviolent protest, which then spread to other parts of London, and to other cities.

This spread to a much less focused riot. Partly an explosion of frustration by people who are poor, suffering from the cuts, see no hope, and hate 'Them' and in many cases hate the police as the most visible symbol of 'Them'. But a lot of it is opportunistic criminals, many of them teenagers, seizing on this as a suitable occasion for looting and vandalism, against any available target, usually meaning their own neighbours.