London riots reveal social strains, say residents
Days of riots rocking London point to deeper social unease in poor areas of Britain’s capital, community leaders and residents said Monday, rejecting moves by politicians and police to blame criminals alone.
The touchpaper for the unrest was lit on Thursday when police shot dead Mark Duggan, a resident of the multi-ethnic district of Tottenham in north London, after officers stopped the taxi in which he was a passenger.
The scenes in Tottenham evoked memories of severe rioting on the Broadwater Farm housing estate there in 1985, sparked when a local woman died after police raided her home. In the ensuing violence, a policeman was hacked to death.
A quarter of a century on, with Britain’s economic growth almost at a standstill and government cuts to public spending hitting areas of high unemployment like Tottenham, some residents said they saw the seeds of more unrest.
(via oohhcomely)
