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Londoners strike back with 'Operation Riot Clean-up'

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@riotcleanup? how about @kickallriotersintheass sounds a better way to solve this problem.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Like seeing efforts like this. People seem to be saying they do not trust the government to clean the mess up any more than they trust them to prevent the riots from happening.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

These may not be the most politically articulate kids, and I agree they are expressing it in a mindlessly criminal way, but we need to step back and looks at why a section of society does this.

Wait a second. most of that "section" of society chose NOT to join in the riots. A large proportion did, but surely nowhere near a majority. These kids CHOSE to commit unlawful acts as individuals. Nobody forced them to, certainly society didn't.

-3 ( +1 / -5 )

A very good initiative.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Why don't they make the rioters tea and cakes while they're at it?

Seems like in the UK now you have to leave work early to get home before the riots start and then get to work early the next day to clean up the mess.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Nappy Valley sounds so English Man racist. Disgusting!

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

Nappy is a derogatory word for blacks in America. It concerns their hair. Is their a place called YellowDilly Circus too?

Maybe some of the blatant racism that is so enveloped in English society that some good may come out of all this in the end!

-8 ( +3 / -11 )

Brirain is not America. Nappy refers to what Americans call diapers.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

ihavegreatlegs, nappy is the British english word for daiper. Please do a little research before posting your offensive diatribes.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Nappy Valley would describe an area habitated mainly with young people with small children.It is not a culturaly biased insult.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Did I miss something in the discussion above. Please inform us.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Yes "nappies" are diapers have hear that one before. MY concern is how many of these burnt out business will never reopen. They were talking about that on BBC today. Oh never heard about "nappy valley" but it makes sense.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

why dont they make tea and cakes for the rioters They cleaned up because thier home doesnt stop at the front gate, its a way in which to express defiance towards the villians who rioted in thier area.Its an English thing pride and dignity they did the same during world war2, the only difference they are under attack from lowlife criminals

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Like that will do a lot of good..

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

Try to focus at the problem at hand also then cleanup..

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Awesome initiative.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

anglootaku; In fact it does a great deal of good for many reasons. They are using social netwroking sites ina socila way to help their local communities. The rioters used these same sites to commit crime,.It is showing that the locals will not be beaten by criminals. These acts also bring people closer and help make bonds stronger. Helping out those who have suffered through damage is a good way to help wounds heal.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

They cleaned up because thier home doesnt stop at the front gate, its a way in which to express defiance towards the villians who rioted in thier area.Its an English thing pride and dignity they did the same during world war2, the only difference they are under attack from lowlife criminals

That is an excellent point. At the least the rioting, looting scum need to be made aware that there are a lot of people who oppose their mindless thuggery and the cheap class war cliches they mouth, and that these people are watching.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Ihavegeatlegs

Nappy is a derogatory word for blacks in America. It concerns their hair. Is their a place called YellowDilly Circus too?

The world does not revolve around us Americans and the notions of political correctness that have numbed the minds of some of us.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

I have been in shock with how low Great Britain has become. The streets are like Iraq. Scary

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

I fly soon, so hope GB can get it's Bobbies out there and fix things. They need to become a real melting pot by absorption rather than by conquering and living in the past. My grandpa always said that.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

@legs, huh?

Londoners strike back with 'Operation Riot Clean-up'

fo

I fly soon, so hope GB can get it's Bobbies out there and fix things. They need to become a real melting pot by absorption rather than by conquering and living in the past. My grandpa always said that.

You have lost me completely here, legs.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@steve@CPFC You have a point there

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

They cleaned up because thier home doesnt stop at the front gate, its a way in which to express defiance towards the villians who rioted in thier area.Its an English thing pride and dignity they did the same during world war2, the only difference they are under attack from lowlife criminals

But no, its not world war 2, and the defiance is, well, very lame. There are pictures of the police standing by and watching as the rioters went wild. Apparently that was an order, i.e. surrender - hardly the ww2 spirit.

All credit to some people who did actually stand up to them, like the Turkish guys standing outside their shops ready to fight them off with sticks, now that showed pride and dignity.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

http://www.japantoday.com/member/view/globalwatcher Steve?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

From The news. Might reach half billion. Amazing damage. Hope this tint country can climb over this road back.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

ihavegreatlegsAug. 10, 2011 - 11:11AM JST

"Nappy is a derogatory word for blacks in America."

Maybe for you, but not for blacks. The word just means natural afro hairstyles, as opposed to straightened, and is no more derogatory than the word genius. But of course if you said "Hey, way to go genius!" with a sneer, genius appears as an insult. Same if some stupid shock jock used it to refer a basketball team of all black females. Look for the site "Welcome to a nappy hair affair!" please and learn something.

Nappy valley is referring to diapers anyway. And it also sounds like a play on California's Nappa Valley.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@Oracle

If one of my brothers ever called a bock man or woman a nappy head, there would have been a huge brawl. My reality when growing up. Sorry

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Black, not block! iPad typing is hard. Gomen ne

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

ihavegreatlegs; maybe you need to learn how to read articles better. Nobody is calling anyone names. Nappy or nappies is what bables wear, so an area with a lot of parents with young kids is often called nappy something by all racial groups.

If Americans wish to make up childish names for minorities the that is their problem and has no relevence to the article.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Readers, enough of this childish bickering.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Anyway, this was the best news I've heard in ages. I hope more people can join the efforts to take back the streets - regardless of race, religion or bank balance, and show that there are more people against the looters.

The worst thing to happen is for everyone to cower in their houses and have both sides criticizing the police. Police plus law abiding citizens outnumber the rioters. They need to be seen that they are the minority and what they are doing won't be tolerated.

Hang in there Brits.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I must be getting old... but kids of today seem like like idiots.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

These last several days seem to have been taken straight out of the Anthony Burgess novel A Clockwork Orange. Ironically perhaps that book was inspired by the author and his wife having been assaulted (in the wife's case, fatally) by several AWOL US soldiers in Britain during WW2.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Most of the posters here seem to have missed the point completely.

The streets were messed up by some kids who went on a rampage.

Instead of waiting for "the Council" to clean it up, writing angry letters to the Times or anything else equally ineffectual, people living in the area rolled up their sleeves, got out their brooms and hit the streets to clear away the mess.

This is wonderful, guys!

This is the spirit that makes London great.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I have read and heard that online orders at Amazon in the UK have increased for American baseball bats. I guess people are ordering them to either 1. Defend their property, 2 cause more mayhem.

If they are buying them to defend their property, I guess it must be because the average Briton can't own a gun.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The knee jerk reaction to violence is simply more violence.

It just doesn't work.

There is a reason for these riots.

I hope someone with an unbiased viewpoint is taking a look at the situation to find out what is behind it.

I'm not living in England now, so I don't have much real information, but I do notice that education is no longer subsidized and the student has to bear most of the cost. What prospect do people like the kids that rioted have? A dead end job, slogging away at some boring job to get together enough money to pay the rent and a couple of beers on a Saturday night.

I wonder if that isn't one of the factors.

Any ideas and information from people who are living there or who have more information than my outmoded knowledge would be appreciated.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Are there shoe shiners nearby also?

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Fancy a shoe shine governor

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

If one of my brothers ever called a bock man or woman a nappy head, there would have been a huge brawl.

Come on now! Its not the word, its the way you use it! There are few adjectives you can place before the word "head" and call it a compliment. Egghead, jarhead, pig head, fat head, dunder head, poo head, war head, air head, about the only one I can think of that's good is to say some had a good head on their shoulders!

Even Nappy valley is not a compliment. And neither would be calling the residents riot heads.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

If they are buying them to defend their property, I guess it must be because the average Briton can't own a gun.

And thank goodness for that! See a man with a baseball bat you can probably avoid him.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

VirtuosoAug. 10, 2011 - 03:31PM JST

Interesting allusion but you are factually incorrect. http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-clockworkorange/intro.html

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Any ideas and information from people who are living there or who have more information than my outmoded knowledge would be appreciated.

The government has indeed made the cost of higher education more prohibitive for people on a lower income BUT - if you get off your butt there are ways out of poverty - as many posters on here have testified to from their own experiences. Pre-university education is free for all, and it is up to you to choose what you do with that. True, some schools are "bad" - so study on your own steam using the schools curriculum. Or go to a college (between 16-18). Uni too expensive? Go to a uni near your home, stay home, flip burgers to pay rent and uni costs. Get a student loan. If there is not a uni near you - go to the open university, do a distance learning course, get a grant. Options ARE there for you to lift out of where you are IF you choose to take them.

It makes me so angry when I think of people like my brother who were "educationally-challenged" but bust a gut to make a success of their lives. Then you get idiots like these rioters who are perfectly normal squandering their opportunities. But to be fair, teenagers dont think like that - I know I didnt. And that is why it is the responsibility of their parents to set an example for them. But when their own parents are demonstrating the "greatness" of a life on benefits, what chance do these kids have?

It is "broken Britain" (not we dont even use the word "Great" anymore) but these people grabbing their brooms to sweep up are testament to the majority of decent, law-abiding people, and I think the intention beyond the obvious clean-up was to send a message to the thugs that the community dont support them.

@GreatLegs: I can understand your indignation if you are familiar with American English and not British English, but "nappy" is absoluely a British English term for diaper and I can absolutely assure you no other meaning would have been intended. This is the bane of my poor hubbys life, being married to a Brit and working for a US company! He goes on a business trip to the US and asks where the "loo" is, and is met with blank stares! He tells his marketing team their report is absolute "codswallop" and gets a confused look in return! Poor guy - maybe I should fake a US accent just to make it easier for him?!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Considering the last 400 years of history, riots in the streets of London at the expense of British apologists is only the logical conclusion.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Just back this afternoon from London.

I am sure there are many long term social ills which are complex to put it mildly, however Britain has had a segment of its society with a thugish outlook for years, this has undoubtably increased over the last few years. I went to scholl with the past generation of british thugs.

Many are unemployed, their parents are often unemployed or on permanent disablity (which in the UK means free house, car, money etc). Drugs, drink, rarely attend school. A depenance on state handouts often coupled with an unwillingness to work.

The cycle of dependancy needs to be broken, I know not how though. Probably the only things these youngsters understand at the moment is force.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@jonnynaha,

Understand your point. Though in the UK education is free to 18, and there are many oportunities for vocational training. Often tradesmen earn better money than most college educated graduates.

The problem starts much earlier and is part of a culture, perhaps to the LA gang culture.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

"What prospect do people like the kids that rioted have? A dead end job, slogging away at some boring job to get together enough money to pay the rent and a couple of beers on a Saturday night."

Actually that sounds like the life that 90% of the people on the planet lead. But most people don't think that justifies destroying things and stealing.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I heard one rioter speaking on the news, and she said that they are doing it to protest against the rich. When the reporter asked her why burn down local stores in her area, she gave the classic "because they are rich and taking advantage of the people."

Store owners in the area, I believe are not what I would be considered rich, unless it was a chain of nationwide stores or one that sells high-end mercandise, which I imagine are not the ones in the rioting areas. They are probably just like the rest of the working public, having to go to the grind day in and out and eke out a living like the rest of us, only that they have a bit more control of their condition since they own their own business. But it is the smal business, that pays the majority of the taxes that provides the social services that these "freeloaders" want.

Again to my previous posts about an increase in bat sells in Britian, I guess you will not see shop owners standing in front of their business with shotguns defending it against rioters like LA during the Rodney King riots. Funny thing, this whole thing started when London police reported that they killed a man after he had opened fire on them. Most bobbies don't wear guns, so I guess the ones that do must be called out for a reason. I guess that goes to the point that if you ban guns, only the outlaws will still have them, and the rest of the population will just have to bring a bat to protect themselves.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Oracle@ thanks, I realized it after I'd already posted. The wife drank herself to death after the beating by the American deserters caused her to miscarry. But Burgess was certainly inspired by the experience to write the book, and Kubrick's film was a masterpiece on the psychology of youth violence. I'm surprised that no one in here as alluded to "Lord of the Flies" either.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

nicky:

Pre-university education is free for all

That's what I thought, so I don't understand why the other poster was going on about education not being free. I'm willing to bet most of those scumbags don't even want to go to university. It's no coincidence that of all the shops that could have been targeted, bookstores were left untouched! As I said before, UK offers many opportunities to those willing to seize them. Unfortunately, the country also offers easier opportunities called handouts. If people want to know what real poverty is, go to Africa, SE Asia or even parts of China. Those people stealing from the shoe shops - not one of them was barefoot before going in.

There are lots of 'disadvantaged people' who don't go out rioting - because they know the difference between right and wrong, regardless of being poor or not. Immigrants from the Commonwealth came to the UK to earn an honest living just after the war. And they made sure their children studied hard, especially the Indians and Chinese. And you know something is wrong when even these second generation want out of this country. I know some who have gone back to their parents' countries or other places and have not looked back. Their parents hardly received handouts in the old days. Many new comers can now expect free housing! Add to this the youth drinking culture, and 2 decades of PC madness which prevents criminals from being punished harshly. I really don't know what was worst - the Tatcherite years or the Bliar years but both have lead to the current situation where many people have absolutely no respect for others.

The only good thing to come out of this is the law-abiding citizens who have come out in force to protect their community.

ihavegreatlegs:

Was LoveUSA your former name?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I was genuinly fearing for my brother last night. He's at University in Wolverhampton - houses and shops close to him were broken into and robbed and people protecting themselves assulted. It's absoutely SICK!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They are pure and simple criminals.

I understand UK is ready to go after them. That's good.

I understand the gov is in a middle of process to gather all evidences including video, twitter, facebook and others. It is easy to do. The justice will prevail for this nonsense.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

TopHatAnd cane; What he is scared of a bunch of chavs? They are bottling it from a bunch of real men in certain areas. we must find out why this is happening and stop the spiral downwards. It was us from the bottom that worked hard to make things better in Britain. Why is this not in their heads? Not born bad, too much going on and too much anger.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Pukey2, you said it:

There are lots of 'disadvantaged people' who don't go out rioting

if everyone who had to slog through menial jobs to make it through university went out rioting, then 90% of university students in the west would be criminals 8which they aren't). i slogged through a ton of those jobs, because i wanted to pay for school. i didn't resent "the man" for making me pay for it. what kind of backward thinking is that? anyway, you're probably right, in that it has little to do with the riots.

i have a feeling this may have more to do with a sense of selfish entitlement that the more and more young people seem to be feeling these days. if something isn't going your way, somebody else is going to pay for it. and the hand-wringing "blame society" attitude just fuels this kind of thinking even more.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Yasukuni-san,

"What prospect do people like the kids that rioted have? A dead end job, slogging away at some boring job to get together enough money to pay the rent and a couple of beers on a Saturday night."

Actually that sounds like the life that 90% of the people on the planet lead. But most people don't think that justifies destroying things and stealing.

You are quite right. This doesn't justify destruction and theft.

I'm just trying to gain an understanding.

In spite of some wasted "breath" about the meaning of "nappies," there have been some posts on this topic that have given some insight.

There are lessons to be learned here.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Cameron to rioters: "You will pay for what you have done." dated 8/11/11.

I welcome his comment above that is fair and just.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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