Londres, le parlement, by Claude Monet
Riots are about power, and they are about catharsis. They are not about poor parenting, or youth services being cut, or any of the other snap explanations that media pundits have been trotting out: structural inequalities, as a friend of mine remarked today, are not solved by a few pool tables. People riot because it makes them feel powerful, even if only for a night. People riot because they have spent their whole lives being told that they are good for nothing, and they realise that together they can do anything – literally, anything at all.
- Laurie Penny, whose full article can be viewed here
While acknowledging the underpinning injustice and discrimination in the society, I regret to say that such vengeance, such violence cannot be a solution to the problems, nor a justification for any of the grave crimes that have been committed in London and other cities. The rioters and looters are ruthlessly destroying other people's lives, oppressing people who are even more powerless that themselves and shaming the name of wherever they come from. They are symbols of decadence, not of humanity, but of their very own selves.
I am truly, very sad and worried about London.
I hope that everyone in London will stay safe. And amidst the chaos, true justice for all people will be served.
