Note: This post is over 12 years old. I was 23 when it was originally posted. I stand by my old posts but bear in mind my opinions may well differ now.

London Riots

Posted on: 9 August 2011

Rioting has gripped the capital of the UK over the past 3 days, seemingly following the shooting of a 29 year old man from Tottenham, London. The spread of violence doesn't appear to be slowing down, and has now spread as far as Birmingham.

I can do nothing more than reiterate the voice of the masses in showing my absolute shock and disbelief at what is unfolding in our capital. Large groups of what has been identified as mostly youths have spread havoc in the form of violence, looting and arson. It hasn't been fully identified yet as to the reason why these riots are occurring, but there is certainly no justification for the events that are currently unfolding.

The youth of today are destroying their own city; livelihoods, family businesses, even homes. These thugs are spreading mercilessly through greater London, causing immense levels of damage, disturbance and distress amongst residents and local business owners. Shops are being smashed, stripped of their goods, and then burned to the ground; the perpetrators showing no regard for anyone but themselves.

The biggest concern at the moment is containing the violence, with the police being stretched to maximum capacity across London and wider areas. But after this violence has passed, many questions will need to be asked as to what could've provoked so many people to cause so much distress to so many peoples lives.

Not only do I feel ashamed to be a part of this generation, but to be British at all. Perhaps the bigger question though is what has become of the human race; that some of us are hell-bent on destroying the society that so many have worked so hard to create.

Tags: culture