Indymedia says London Riots groovy

[tolpuddlemartyr]

I seriously scratched my head when I read this.

Where is the anarchist response to the riots? A few thoughts...

While the most exciting wave of civil unrest unfolds in front of our eyes, anarchists across London seem to be failing at actively supporting this immense expression of anger and frustration. We believe this expression to be totally legitimate and should be encouraged and supported. But how? The writers of this are not sure themselves but here are a few ideas and we hope people will think about and act out their response to this situation.

Create a visible and directed anti-authoritarian presence - we should be on these demonstrations with banners and literature but perhaps most importantly facing down the police. Think black-bloc, barricade roads, don't run when the pigs come.

Legal advice - we should be making people aware of the importance of masking up and the presence of CCTV. Distributing bust cards is also important (note: many people wary of receiving legal advice from perceived outsiders. we are not completely sure how to overcome this and it needs thought.)

Pick your targets - the rioters so far as doing a good job of redistributing wealth by attacking large corporations. what else can we go for? police stations, courts, other government buildings, banks, CCTV cameras

Think about safety - we should be aware that some people are using this as an opportunity to mug others. stay safe, move in groups and think seriously about who you trust with your physical safety.

This is just the beginning of what we should be doing and we hope a dialogue is formed between all protesters across the city and the country who are tired of the police harassment and exploitative economic systems.

Exactly what the fuck is it you idiots want to achieve by throwing the Black Bloc into this mess? And, er, they don't look like "demonstrators"-not even rioting demonstrators-they look like utter cunts out for a bit of biff and a free telly. And I note that a self described anarchist who begged to differ with the Anarchist consensus had his comment about the rioters being "useless scrotes" deleted.

Think about safety-join the looting, fuck me-this is an entirely new breed of stupid!

[shadoom2]

Supporting these riots is exactly what anarchists, libertarians, and revolutionary-socialists should be doing. The riots are directed against police and capitalists, in other words they are the face of extreme anti-"authoritarianism" (aka libertarianism/anarchism) and anti-capitalism (aka socialism).

Also "cunts out for a bit of biff and a free telly" generally can't overwhelm an entire city's police force for three days straight. From what I can see this is a conflict between socio-economic classes; a (hopefully) small class war.

You can and should condemn the riots, but you cannot deny them for what they really are. Also, an anarchist, libertarian, or revolutionary-socialist who criticizes these riots is a hypocrite, this is exactly what their ideologies call for.

[malicious_bloke]

Aug 9, 2011 4:28:46 GMT -5 tolpuddlemartyr said:

fuck me-this is an entirely new breed of stupid!

prophetic, given the post immediately below yours

[tolpuddlemartyr]

It might be what anarchists and revolutionary socialists might want, libertarians I'm not so sure about given how sacred wealth is to the Randroids-but I guess it depends on what you mean by libertarian.

This mess may have started with a protest about a shooting but many of the rioters don't appear to be politically motivated. Many of the ones who have been on video have been high school age and seem to be out for a bit of fun. Granted people who attend riots have all sorts of motives, but this one does seem to have rather a lot of cunts out for a bit of biff and a free telly!

[tolpuddlemartyr]

Also to be fair quite a few anarchists and revolutionary socialists would also disagree with the rioters actions, see the comments section in the link.

[shadoom2]

I seriously doubt that high-school students out to have fun and thugs looking to steal stuff would have been able to so completely overwhelm the London police.

EDIT: And my point was not that anarchists and rev-socialists do support the riots, but that they should it they take their ideologies seriously.

[malicious_bloke]

Although tbh London is usually on fire anyway. It's a shithole and maybe if it gets torched completely we could make something nicer in its place.

[tolpuddlemartyr]

Aug 9, 2011 4:54:40 GMT -5 shadoom2 said:

I seriously doubt that high-school students out to have fun and thugs looking to steal stuff would have been able to so completely overwhelm the London police.

Depends on how many of them are throwing bricks at once doesn't it?

Aug 9, 2011 4:54:40 GMT -5 shadoom2 said:

EDIT: And my point was not that anarchists and rev-socialists do support the riots, but that they should it they take their ideologies seriously.

Because nothing will get the working class to flock to your cause like barracking for the pricks who are burning their city down!

[Distind]

Aug 9, 2011 4:59:45 GMT -5 tolpuddlemartyr said:

Aug 9, 2011 4:54:40 GMT -5 shadoom2 said:

EDIT: And my point was not that anarchists and rev-socialists do support the riots, but that they should it they take their ideologies seriously.

Because nothing will get the working class to flock to your cause like barracking for the pricks who are burning their city down!

Haven't you learned anything from the republicans? It's not about getting them to choose your side, its' about removing all other choices.

[shadoom2]

tolpuddlemartyr: what class do you think the rioters come from?

[tolpuddlemartyr]

Sure the rioters aren't rich but it's places like Hackney, Tottenham that are burning - not Buckingham palace! I rather like the way this lady interpreted the whole "class struggle" angle to this disaster.



Here's her speech.

This is fucking reality
Blow up burning the property
Blow up burning peoples shops that they worked hard to start their business
Ya understand
She's working hard to make her business work and then you lot want to go and burn it up
For what, just to say you're warring and your bad man
This is about a fucking man who got shot in Tottenham this aint about having fun on the road and busting up the place
Get real black people get real
Do it for a cause
If we're fighting for a cause lets fight for a cause
You lot piss me the fuck off I'm ashamed to be a Hackney person
Cause we're not all gathering together and fighting for a cause
We're running down Foot Locker and teefin shoes/

Yeah I'm sure that most of the rioters aren't private school brats, most of them do come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and probably have reasons to be pissed off-that doesn't make their actions any less assholish for all that!

[Doctor Fishcake]

Whatever resources they have, the police will (eventually) always be given more. Thinking they can defeat the system by effectively engaging in an arms race with it is delusional. Absolutely fucking delusional.

[malicious_bloke]

well, know I know what leftards mean by "property is theft"

[tolpuddlemartyr]

Yeah I saw that, real nice.

[malicious_bloke]

Riots caused by society or lazy, thieving pricks, say experts

THE London riots are the inevitable consequence of a society that includes some arseholes who like to steal things instead of working, experts claimed last night.

Sociologists said the devastation across the capital was the direct result of either social exclusion and government cutbacks or some young, inner-city pricks finding a flimsy excuse to set fire to Carpetright.