Britain faces summer of rage - police

Pressed_Rat · Feb 23, 2009

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/23/police-civil-unrest-recession

Britain faces summer of rage - police

Middle-class anger at economic crisis could erupt into violence on streets

Paul Lewis
The Guardian, Monday 23 February 2009

Scenes such as those seen in London in January when protestors clashed with mounted riot police at a protest over Israel's action in Gaza could become more common sights in the UK. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Police are preparing for a "summer of rage" as victims of the economic downturn take to the streets to demonstrate against financial institutions, the Guardian has learned.

Britain's most senior police officer with responsibility for public order raised the spectre of a return of the riots of the 1980s, with people who have lost their jobs, homes or savings becoming "footsoldiers" in a wave of potentially violent mass protests.

Superintendent David Hartshorn, who heads the Metropolitan police's public order branch, told the Guardian that middle-class individuals who would never have considered joining demonstrations may now seek to vent their anger through protests this year.

He said that banks, particularly those that still pay large bonuses despite receiving billions in taxpayer money, had become "viable targets". So too had the headquarters of multinational companies and other financial institutions in the City which are being blamed for the financial crisis.

Hartshorn, who receives regular intelligence briefings on potential causes of civil unrest, said the mood at some demonstrations had changed recently, with activists increasingly "intent on coming on to the streets to create public disorder".

The warning comes in the wake of often violent protests against the handling of the economy across Europe. In recent weeks Greek farmers have blocked roads over falling agricultural prices, a million workers in France joined demonstrations to demand greater protection for jobs and wages and Icelandic demonstrators have clashed with police in Reykjavik.

In the UK hundreds of oil refinery workers mounted wildcat strikes last month over the use of foreign workers.

Intelligence reports suggest that "known activists" are also returning to the streets, and police claim they will foment unrest. "Those people would be good at motivating people, but they haven't had the 'footsoldiers' to actually carry out [protests]," Hartshorn said. "Obviously the downturn in the economy, unemployment, repossessions, changes that. Suddenly there is the opportunity for people to mass protest.

"It means that where we would possibly look at certain events and say, 'yes there'll be a lot of people there, there'll be a lot of banner waving, but generally it will be peaceful', [now] we have to make sure these elements don't come out and hijack that event and turn that into disorder."

Hartshorn identified April's G20 meeting of the group of leading and developing nations in London as an event that could kick-start a challenging summer. "We've got G20 coming and I think that is being advertised on some of the sites as the highlight of what they see as a 'summer of rage'," he said.

His comments are likely to be met with disappointment by protest groups, who in recent weeks have complained that police are adopting a more confrontational approach at demonstrations. Officers have been accused of exaggerating the threat posed by activists to justify the use of resources spent on them.

Police were said to have been heavy-handed at Greek solidarity marches in London in December and, last month, at protests against Israel's invasion of Gaza. In August 1,000 officers, helicopters and riot horses were drafted to Kent from 26 UK police forces to oversee the climate camp demonstration against the Kingsnorth power station. The massive operation to monitor the protesters cost £5.9m and resulted in 100 arrests. But in December the government was forced to apologise to parliament after the Guardian revealed that its claims that 70 officers had been hurt in violent clashes were wrong.

However, Hartshorn insisted: "Potentially there will be more industrial actions ... History shows that some of those disputes - Wapping, the miners' strike - have caused great tensions in the community and the police have had difficult times policing and maintaining law and order."

Both "extreme rightwing and extreme leftwing" elements are looking to "use the fact that people are out of jobs" to galvanise support, he said.

A particularly worrying development was the re-emergence of individuals involved in the violent fascist organisation Combat 18, he said. "They are using the fact that there's been lots of talk about eastern European people coming in and taking jobs on the Olympic sites," he said. "They're using those type of arguments to look at getting support."

Hartshorn said he also expected large-scale demonstrations this year on environmental issues, with hardcore green activists "joining forces" with middle-class campaigners over issues such as airport expansion at Heathrow and Stansted. With the prospect of angry demonstrations against the economy, that could open the door to powerful coalitions.

"All you've got to do then is link in with the environmentalists, and look at the oil companies. They're seen to be turning over billions of pounds profit in issues that are seen to be against the environment."
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White_Horse_Mescalito · Feb 23, 2009

So do you see this as a preview of things to come in the US?

Pressed_Rat · Feb 23, 2009

White_Horse_Mescalito said:

So do you see this as a preview of things to come in the US?
Click to expand...

There's no doubt. I would not be surprised if we see rioting here in the states this summer, if not sooner.

White_Horse_Mescalito · Feb 23, 2009

Pressed_Rat said:

There's no doubt. I would not be surprised if we see rioting here in the states this summer, if not sooner.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be surprised either, certainly more so in the larger cities.

My guess is that LA will be one of the first, since Cali. is already pretty down in the dumps with financial troubles as is.

Going to be interesting times that's for sure.

drew5147 · Feb 23, 2009

Add some chaos.

blackcat666 · Feb 23, 2009

it is here in the u.s.a. too.
i get e-mails all the time asking me to come out and march.
sounds like it will be one long hot summer around the world in 2009!

heywood floyd · Feb 23, 2009

drew, are you suggesting that The Joker may be involved?

Topher D. · Feb 23, 2009

ill riot. absolutely. miami april 29 1992.

drew5147 · Feb 23, 2009

12/21/2012

Pressed_Rat · Feb 23, 2009

drew5147 said:

12/21/2012
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I see no significance with that date.

odon · Feb 25, 2009

We'll have to see what the weather is like.

gardener · Feb 27, 2009

With all the cameras in public places, the new laws in Britain since Tony's collusion with Bush I am surprised it hasn't happenned sooner. You're worse off than we are in the US.

And you gave up your industries decades before we did, and became a service industry nation...where did it get you, promises from the US big monied interests that they would look after you? Who's your Momma or Daddy now?

Aristartle · Feb 27, 2009

God Save the Queen!

mamaKCita · Feb 28, 2009

LA will certainly riot, since people there have been lying to themselves for so long about how wonderful it is to live in LA. they've gotta be truly pissed by now.

White_Horse_Mescalito · Feb 28, 2009

Yeah,I wish my oldest would get out of that shit hole called LA

mamaKCita · Feb 28, 2009

if i could get my mother and father to get the hell outta there, well, really, they're in orange county, but it's still shit, i would NEVER have to go back. that would satisfy me.

green_revolution · Feb 28, 2009

It will happen in the U.S. sooner or later. I mean, this kind of thing happens almost daily in the developing world, and has slowly been making its way to more developed countries. Think Greece, Iceland, Bulgaria, French Guadeloupe...

mamaKCita · Feb 28, 2009

i thought they'd been rioting and such for years.

mcnugget · Mar 13, 2009

Topher D. said:

ill riot. absolutely. miami april 29 1992.
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what happen?

gardener · Mar 13, 2009

mcnugget said:

what happen?
Click to expand...

The Rodney King riots.

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Britain faces summer of rage - police

Pressed_Rat Do you even lift, bruh?

White_Horse_Mescalito ""

Pressed_Rat Do you even lift, bruh?

White_Horse_Mescalito ""

drew5147 Dingledodie

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Pressed_Rat Do you even lift, bruh?

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mamaKCita fucking stupid.

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mamaKCita fucking stupid.

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mamaKCita fucking stupid.

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Britain faces summer of rage - police

Pressed_Rat Do you even lift, bruh?

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Pressed_Rat Do you even lift, bruh?

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heywood floyd Banned

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mamaKCita fucking stupid.

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