London’s Burning

London’s burning! London’s burning!

All across the town, all across the night
Everybody's driving with full headlights
Black or white turn it on, face the new religion
Everybody’s sitting ‘round watching television!

North London, specifically the area around Tottenham (it’s a chav thug area, what do you expect?), was burning Saturday evening. I was shocked when I saw the images. I only realised the scale of the destruction on Sunday afternoon and even then I thought it was contained within the area.

So it was with shock and horror when I discovered that the riot had actually continued since and even spread to other parts of London and England (Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and now West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Leicester, Nottingham and Bristol). It sparked after a young man, Mark Duggan, was shot dead by the police. This reminds me of the situation in Greece in December 2008 all over again. Talk about déjà vu.

It quickly went out of control with buildings and even vehicles set on fire. Looting followed. From what little I read and understand, the perpetrators are frustrated with poverty in their area and this brutal treatment by the police just sparked everything out of control. Well, I’m all for freedom of speech – within limits. After all, London has always hosted peaceful demonstrations without the police having to intervene and marching out to voice out dissatisfaction and/or demand better treatment is very different from rioting. The cities hit so far are those with a lot of minorities who may feel dissatisfied with how they have been treated. The common factor is their age – most are young people who perhaps feel disillusioned about their lives and who don’t see any future for themselves what with the economic slowdown, rising prices and cost of living and reduced employment opportunities. I’m not sure if the education system plays any role in the deterioration of the morals of the society;after all, I received British education myself. I’m not trying to find excuses, merely trying to make sense and understand what prompted them to resort to such extreme cause of action.

But you know what, screw all that. There are many people who would feel marginalised because they are in the minority elsewhere. Not just in England but also in Australia, Europe and the US. Being a minority doesn’t mean you have to be a victim of society. Look at the Chinese: they are minorities in a lot of countries and yet they work hard, stick together and help each other. They control the economy in most countries like Indonesia, even Malaysia. They set up Chinatowns in other countries and are powerful members of the society. They don’t exist out of the society; they play a big part and contribute to the economy. So don’t give any shit about not getting equal opportunities, about being marginalised, about being part of the underclass. Anyone can rise above himself and his unfortunate circumstances if he chooses to, if he wants to, and if he is serious about doing so. If you migrate to a new country but are still determined to stick to your own people instead of assimilating then you’ll definitely stick out like a sore thumb. The locals would hesitate to approach you too. I’m not saying you should abandon your ideals, culture, religion and beliefs when you migrate, but make an effort to learn about your new country and how you can contribute to it. It’s the least you can do for the country which has agreed to accept you. If you refuse to participate in society, then don’t blame anyone if you later feel isolated or ignored.

The current Government is trying its best to undo the damage and mess left behind by the Labour Party. They have no choice but to increase taxes and exercise financial prudence. No doubt this would have undesirable effects but then again, most bitter pills are hard to swallow anyway (yes, I’m pro-Tory). The protestors/rioters have to understand they are the country’s future to build the country and work its way out of recession. Like the Mayor of London said, you don’t boost job-generating prospects by smashing shops – and looting them. You don’t make it easier for small businesses to take on apprentices and interns by torching their premises. And there is always an alternative to violence. The PM has also warned young rioters that ‘if you are old enough to commit these crimes, you are old enough to face the punishment.’

I love London. I return to it regularly – not as regularly as I like but I try to do so every four years or thereabout. It saddens me to see the city and other cities in this state but I’m glad and proud of those decent people left who get together and help clean up.

It’s barely a year to the London Olympic 2012. I pray that peace, love, common sense, understanding and order will prevail soon.