Eyewitness to The London Riots

Submitted by Giacomo Besenghi

I know how excited we might get at the news that a revolution is actiually starting and yes there is a social context that can't be ignored to the London riots (one of the most independent newspapers, The Guardian points it out and I am not afraid to share it: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/08/context-london-riots?).
That proposed in the article is just a frame, tho. We need that, to understand what's going on, but if these were acts against an oppressive government or the richest people mentioned in The Guardian, I would even consider to support the looters and call them protesters. What I have witnessed is only devastation and 'bored' school guys on summer holidays, that have been left free to do what they wanted.
Maybe there's even a different plan behind all this.
Maybe the London Police that is facing cuts of 16k staff wanted to show the city that we can't do without them (the looters were able to act undisturbed in most areas for a couple of hours, including where I live).
It may even be the government itself that decided to let the lowest classes to 'unwind' for three days, tricking them to think the had a false victory, as in the end Insurance companies will pay for most of the damages. That would serve the purpose of keeping calm the poorest people for a while. These are just my personal guesses.
But what I've seen, again, is not the product of some sort of social awareness, it's not students claiming their rights and fighting with the police, nor workers asking for better pay or conditions. It's not immigrants, it's not castaways. it's not angry people revolting against the justice system (or using that as an excuse at least) like it happened in Los Angeles in 1991, it's not the Parisians of the suburbs fighting a racist government.... I've seem wild looters who stole stuff and set houses and cars on fire.

I know I was harsh. but it was the only way to give you a most comprehensive point of view by a Bronkey who had a couple of really bad days...
The Empire is falling and failing from many points' of view. First, economically with the constant loss of trillion of dollars in transactions, secondly socially with the disaggregation of the society as we know it. This provides a context for social revolts from the lowest layers of the society in coutries such as Spain, where, with a 20/25% unemployment rate, the Indignados (indignated) fight for work opportunities and basically for food, or Italy, where people should raise their head against the most corrupted, aged and selfish political class ever.

On the other hand this is not what's happening in London and the UK. Here, where I live, there are more work opportunities than in many other countries in Europe and those fighting /revolting as Phlip says, come from families that live on benefits which grant them all a house and a weekly cheque, paid for by me.
Mind you, I don't complain about this way of using my taxes as I firmly believe that the richer should take care of the poorer in a civilised society; plus, when I had just arrived to the UK 6 years ago, I was one of those who got those benefits (only the weekly cheque, which is certainly not substantial).
You loose the house benefit and the Income benefit if you have a job.
And I was pretty happy to loose it when I found my first job in the UK. This country has welcomed me and given me a job as I showed my will to work and my skills where valued and appreciated.

Those Involved in the riot acts are not fighting for a job, are not fighting for food... actually... they are not fighting at all.

Did you hear any their requests?
Have they smashed in any supermarket in search of food?

No! You did not hear their requests because they had nothing to ask for.
What they did was ravaging shops to steal Nike shoes, cheap jewels, the latest iPad or plasma TVs.... To me, this doesn't seem to be an awareness of Anti Imperial values of "young men in revolt". It's theft, it's criminality, It's the perpetration of a dishonesty that is not damaging the empire but it's destroying the life of other people who cerrtainly are not better off then them.
In fact they did not even think of attacking the power.
They pursued only their small greedy interest.

I have seen from my kitchen's window a band of little boys and girls aged 12 (or less) to 16 smashing the metal shutter of the convenience store near my place, just to steal some beer.

I had them at my doorstep and If they had decided that instead of shops they wanted to break in houses, I couldn't have done nothing to prevent it and my life would have been at risk.
And the police here in the UK have little power, believe me. In other countries, this would have been repressed in blood some 72 hours ago.

There are homeless families who escaped their burning houses. Normal workers who are not getting paid because their shops are closed.

I am telling you, as I am here, and I saw it happening before my eyes. This is not the beginning of a revolutions, this is not a fight against the power, THIS IS NOT SOCIAL. This is JUST criminality.