Flashbacks to past events (Possible trigger warning)

Although I usually like to think of myself as one of the more laid back and level-headed, the 'race riots' across various locations in the USA over the past few days have made me have flashbacks to August 2011 here in the UK when many of our major cities went up in flames, also triggered by a Black person (Mark Duggan) being killed in the hands of the police.

I know I sound a bit paranoid but I can't help imagining scenarios if certain factions of Britain's disaffected youth decide to engage in 'copycat' disturbances, especially with there already being a sense of anger and bitterness at the hodge-podge handling of the COVID-19 outbreak by the 'powers that be' here, coupled with many underlying issues already affecting certain youngsters in this country pre-pandemic still remaining unresolved (e.g, gang culture and knife crime). I also know that the events in question are in the USA and AFAIK, no Black or other ethnic minority persons have been killed in the hands of the police here in the UK recently, but I just can't stop thinking about it, especially with a lot of the 'virtue signalling' and 'outrage by proxy', that seems to be very much in vogue these days.

Don't get me wrong, I totally deplore racism in general and what that police officer did to that Black guy that proved fatal was an absolute atrocity of the highest order.

I think 'copycat' activities like that are very unlikely in the UK, Lencoboy. For it to happen in the UK, there'd have to be a similar outrage first. There has been a demonstration in Peckham but it was all very orderly.

I'm old enough to remember Brixton and Toxteth, the Miner's Strike, Broadwater Farm, the Poll Tax Riots. Different times admittedly. Much of the binary outrage is confined to social media.

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Originally Posted by Pamplemousse

I think 'copycat' activities like that are very unlikely in the UK, Lencoboy. For it to happen in the UK, there'd have to be a similar outrage first. There has been a demonstration in Peckham but it was all very orderly.

I'm old enough to remember Brixton and Toxteth, the Miner's Strike, Broadwater Farm, the Poll Tax Riots. Different times admittedly. Much of the binary outrage is confined to social media.

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It's good that yesterday's BLM solidarity march in Peckham was 'orderly' and did not escalate into August 2011 all over again. It also seemed to be kept low-key in the national headlines, which is kind of ironic given the media seem to be so disproportionately London-centric in general.

And there were also various other disturbances that happened in the 90s as well, many of which seem to be mostly forgotten about now, though probably the most memorable and notorious of that era was Meadow Well near Newcastle in September 1991.

Also the Poll Tax riots in the early spring of 1990 to me still seem like the last true episode of major public revolt during my lifetime, as to-date, I haven't known anything that even came that close ever since.

You're probably right in the sense that much of today's binary outrage in general is confined to social media, which in the past would no doubt have manifested in epic punch-ups in pubs, WMCs, etc, which was probably the case in particular during the 1984 Miners' Strike and the 1990 Poll Tax debacle.

And like I said in my opening post, there haven't AFAIK been any fatalities of BAME persons in the hands of the police in this country recently, which would have been the source of the 'similar outrage'.

The BLM UK demonstrators have descended on Trafalgar Square today. I can sadly foresee it also spreading to Birmingham and other major cities over the coming days. And no doubt the hotheads of this country will be using this current situation as the perfect opportunity for epic scraps just for the sake of it. And not just BAME persons, also White British-born and bred 'hooligan' types who already revel in anarchy and disorder whatever the event.

If it's not triggering why not spin it around into a bit of comedy and watch the Bottom episode with the annual Hammersmith riot in it?

"Oh no, Richie. There's no time to make a shopping list, Currys window has blown, they've just thrown Aswad through it" :roflmao:

Well so far so good, no reports of any full-on riots here in the UK despite the demos spreading to other major cities here over the past few days.

Well apart from in central London (on the 13th June IIRC) there were no actual August 2011-type disturbances elsewhere in the UK.

Don't wish to tempt fate by saying this but the BLM protests here in the UK generally seem to have petered out now.

Yes, it does seem to have fizzled out. I think the media play their part in this because there were still protests taking place but seemed a non news event when that maniac killed three people.

It might kick off again now they've arrested one of protesters who toppled the Colston statue. A petition is circulating about it. I'm sure the rentaknobs that turn up for a fight will be all excited by the prospect.

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Originally Posted by MyNameIsTerry

Yes, it does seem to have fizzled out. I think the media play their part in this because there were still protests taking place but seemed a non news event when that maniac killed three people.

It might kick off again now they've arrested one of protesters who toppled the Colston statue. A petition is circulating about it. I'm sure the rentaknobs that turn up for a fight will be all excited by the prospect.

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I presume you were referring to the incident in Reading when you mentioned the maniac that killed three people. Perhaps whatever protests were taking place at the time, regardless of the Reading incident, were kept lower key, and as you suggest, the press might have moved onto other stuff by then.

As for the arrest of one of the protesters who was involved in the toppling of the Colston statue in Bristol, at least they're currently attempting a petition rather than indulging in full-on riots willy-nilly. And at least said person who has been arrested hasn't (so far) died in police custody.