London riots

[bryant.english]

What do you mean "nothing will happen to them"? you think they will be let off?

I think most of them will be let off. In fact I'm sure..

[justjoe86]

These rioters feel so invincible like the law is below them, stealing openly, showing it on youtube and facebook, laughing about it. There's an illusion of power surging through these people's minds, and it is ready to be broken.

When they get arrested and sent to prison can you imagine the state of anticlimax they'll be in - especially the ones who have just jumped on the bandwagon without thinking about it. Words of "What on earth was I doing??" will echo through prison cells around the country.

They'll feel like their mum went on their internet history and discovered their octogenarian foot fetish archive.

*clears internet history*

[Satay Sue]

I think most of them will be let off. In fact I'm sure..

Why, do you think?

[Cwbguy]

I think B.E. may have a depressingly true point.

Firstly the prisons in the UK are already totally full. There is physically not the room to put a few hundred rioters.

Secondly the " justice" system in the UK is so soft most will probably get nothing more than a fine and/or some form of "community order".

[jacky_se]

What do you mean "nothing will happen to them"? you think they will be let off?

Of course!

Though with a warning...

[Beuze]

Where I come from, first the policeman beats up the suspect, then he beats him up some more, and then the suspect has a few broken bones and if he is declared innocent the policemen will drop the abuse to verbal abuse (and I come from Western Europe, not Africa).

Which Western Europe country do you come from ? Because what it happening in London could happen in most Western Europe country , France, Italy Spain ....

[justjoe86]

Where I come from, first the policeman beats up the suspect, then he beats him up some more, and then the suspect has a few broken bones and if he is declared innocent the policemen will drop the abuse to verbal abuse

So what you're saying is where you come from, the police join in with the rioting.

Sounds fun.

[jacky_se]

So what you're saying is where you come from, the police join in with the rioting.

Sounds fun.

No. What I am saying is the police beats up anybody it wants (except the rich of course) with complete impunity. Not only in England, but everywhere in the world. But when the police does it it's not "rioting". It's "apprehending a suspect".

And no, it's not fun.

[Mat]

I did not read thru the whole thread but overall not surprised.

The London incident is just one more incident in a long list of similar incident in Europe in the last few years: Look at Greece a few months ago, France a few years ago....

This is just the global trend. Western Europe, alongside the US is on a slow but clearly downward trend, be it economically or socially.

As for those young wankers there is very little the gvt can and will do. They will catch a few, send them to jail for a few years and so what? Nothing would have changed.

Unless very proufound and painful structural reforms are kicked off, I really do not see how the US or Western Europe can get out of this - the problem is very few ppl are willing to sacrifice one or two generations (and who could really blame them) for the good of the future generations...

[Cwbguy]

This sums up a lot of the looters attitudes towards the legal system now:-

"And even if they do get caught, they are not afraid of the consequences, with one telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'What are they gonna do? Give me an Asbo? I'll live with that.'

However, rioters quoted by BBC Radio showed a terrifying sense of impunity about their role in the violent clashes that gripped the heart of the city last night.

'Why are you going to miss the opportunity to get free stuff,' one asked a reporter during the unrest last night.

'The government are not in control because if they were we wouldn't be able to do it would we?'

The young looters told the Today programme that they were unconcerned about being caught and did not expect that they would have to suffer as a result of their crimes.

'This will be my first offence,' continued the young miscreant. 'I've not been in trouble before so I'm not really bothered.

'I'll get a caution. The prisons are full.'