Looters hijack racial justice protest

Black politicians, church leaders, and activist have been in disbelief at the turn of events which started with a legitimate and peaceful protest, which has transformed into an anarchic looting spree causing mayhem and fear. From affluent Ealing to inner city Peckham, organised looting quickly spread to other parts of the country including nation’s second city Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds and Nottingham.

MP for Hackney Diane Abbot was on Mare St, in Hackney last night trying to reassure her constituents that everything was being done to protect lives and property. In an exclusive interview with OBV she lamented,

‘Simon, this is nothing like the riots of the 80’s. Back then protestors aimed their anger at the authorities, in particularly, a police force which had little respect for Black people. What I witnessed with my own eyes were gangs with only one thing on their minds, steal valuable and must-have items such as training shoes and designer glasses. Although I did see some break into an empty bookies. Not sure what they hope to steal there, betting slips?’

She went to explain that the looters would no doubt be 'today’s news headlines', and the cause of these national disturbances-the death of Mark Duggan – and the underling causes lost.

Diane is right. Yesterday I and others including Pastor Nims, Claudia Webb could talk about in some detail those element that has brought thousands of Black people to peacefully march on the streets up and down the country, including deaths in police custody and gross levels of deprevation. Today that moral authority is dwindling away as a nation and its police force are stretched to breaking point because well organised marauding looters wrecking havoc on our streets.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, the Home Secretary, Theresa May and the Mayor for London Boris Johnson have all been forced to cut short their holidays to attend high level security meetings. Social and racial justice will not be on the agenda as Tottenham peaceful protestors had hoped for. Investigating deaths in police custody will be put on the back burner. The police will rightly be given stronger measures to deal with the present situation, but more worryingly this could also continue in a heavy handed civil clampdown long after the disturbances that would target predominantly Black areas such as Tottenham, and Brixton.

If we don’t get this right the very element that caused these national disturbances-heavy handed, unaccountable policing-could get much worse.

Simon Woolley