Residents of a London housing estate laughed at a televised plea by police for parents to call their children and help rein in the youths who looted and burned swathes of the city.
Not only were some of the parents at the riots themselves, but many of those taking part were not the hooded, teenage delinquents on which many have pinned the blame for the worst street riots Britain has seen for decades.
“Some of the parents were there. For some parents it was no big surprise their kids were there. They’ve gone through this all their lives,” said an Afro-Caribbean man of 22 who gave his name as “L”, voicing the frustration and anger felt by youth and parents over yawning inequalities in wealth and opportunity.
“I was on the train today in my work clothes and shoes. All different types took part in the riot. The man next to me was saying everyone who rioted should be gassed. He would never have guessed that I was there, that I took part,” he said.
L was seated at the entrance to a housing estate in Hackney, a London borough that suffered some of the worst destruction and violence in three days of riots that hit the capital after the fatal shooting of an Afro-Caribbean man by police.
Other young men were sitting with him, on a wall outside the drab flats typical of the subsidised housing that is home to many of Britain’s poor.
One man held a marijuana joint, another rode in circles on a bike with his hood drawn tight over his face, a so-called “hoodie”, a stereotype blamed for much of the violence.
“They were not your typical hoodlums out there. There were working people, angry people. They’ve raised rates, cut child benefit. Everyone just used it as a chance to vent,” L said, referring to government austerity measures the poor say have hit them hardest.
Witness accounts and media footage reinforce his view - Afro-Caribbeans, Asians, whites and others of various ages were involved in riots that spread across London and further afield to the cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham.
Politicians and police have described the riots as pure criminality, with youths emptying out shops in what looked like targeted raids. Some social commentators, however, point to swingeing public service cuts and high unemployment that have scarred poor, disadvantaged communities the most.
The unrest has stirred a debate about law and order and the social divide in modern Britain with many trying to pinpoint just who participated in the rioting and looting and fighting with police in London and other cities.
Britain’s mainstream media have seized on the stereotype of hooded, unemployed, violent youth as the culprits. Among a large number of detained rioters that kept one London court busy throughout the night were a graphic designer, a graduate student and someone about to join the army.
On a typical day at the Hackney estate the young men, who apart from L were unemployed, congregate and while away the time, being careful to avoid the police, whom many refer to as the “Feds”, a term derived from US federal law enforcers.
“If you’re not working, you find out what your friends are doing. We’re just socialising, generally. Keeping out of the radar of the police looking to get in our business,” said Ariom, 23, wearing baggy jeans and sporting corn-rows in his hair.
The young men sat within sight of a recently installed surveillance camera at the entrance to the estate. A police car drove by, and all heads turned towards it. “These black boys are just sitting around, the Feds drive through, some harassment, they have a little weed on them. I used to work with youth offenders, and it hurt me to see the police’s approach,” said Michelle, 40, who had stopped to chat.
“My son is 12 years old, and he already knows that police do not work for black people,” she added.
