Good News in the Wake of the Riots

We watched coverage of our nation’s capital as it rioted and burned; others, fewer in number but more immediately affected, watched it from their living room windows as businesses that had stood for generations were set alight and looted. The events of the last three nights have been horrifying, with a thousand potential explanations but none of them ringing true.

It would be easy to see this in apocalyptic terms, forces of destruction and anarchy let loose upon the world as financial markets plummet and the corruption of authority figures exposed. But this isn’t armageddom, a cleansing divine flame hasn’t got a grudge against Nandos and Footlocker. Today seems to be the start of the hangover, but also the moment communities were able to regroup and reclaim. So instead of this post being a further rant, I wanted to link to some of the good news that’s emerging; before the recriminations start, notice the range of age, class and ethnicity represented below – if the country’s going to rebuild, we need to hold on to that, not the darker angels of human nature that are sure to arise in the next few days…

Riot Wombles – After the recent hockey riots in Vancouver, affected communities arranged mass clean-up operations to get things back together. Well, the same thing has happened in London, Birmingham and Liverpool, with thousands of people pledging support. And, because this is Britain, the name that’s sticking to these volunteers is ‘Riot Wombles. Somehow this is far more British than rioting.

The Turkish and Kurdish Communities of Hackney – A group of residents stand up for their area by defending Kingsland Road in Hackney.

Restaurant Staff Defend Diners With Rolling Pins – Similar to the link above, kitchen staff at The Ledbury restaurant in Notting Hill defended diners with kitchen utensils when it was raided by rioters.

Lady yells at rioters – But in spite of all the above, a new hero has emerged. A lone lady, walking stick in hand, yells at rioters to grow up and fight for a cause, not violence. The clip contains Some Bad Words, but given the circumstances I think we can forgive her…