So you call yourself a Liberal: Solidarity and the London Tottenheim Riots

Over the past few days reports about the riots in England have been overwhelming the airwaves and my facebook feed. Liberals and conservatives alike are describing those participating in the riots as thuggish youths, opportunistic plunderers, gang members, and there are calls that it is time for the army to come in the deal with the "war zone" London has become. One Dutch parliamentarian called for BlackBerry to shut down their messaging service in London to stifle the riots. Some people, themselves young, are worried that the youths partaking are the future ofour generation.

Dutch MP, Diederik Samsom calls for BlackBerry to shut down its messaging service to London

A woman protesting the Egyptian regime's shutdown of the internet during the protests there in the Spring of 2011 asks, "who's afraid of twitter?!"

My thoughts: Where is your solidarity?! You call yourself a Liberal, you lament the apathy of the youth in the face of deep economic cuts and yet, you denounce those who are finally standing up. I don't get it. I don't get it for 3 reasons:

1. I cannot fathom the disdain expressed for these people involved in the riots in London. I am not a supporter of their methods (in fact, I think in the long run they're counterproductive) but I understand and feel compassion for their plight. No prospects, no way to support your family, and no hope of a better future - all while having to stand for police violence and discrimination - well, it would be enough to break anyone. These are not "thuggish youths," these are our unemployed and overwhelmed brothers and sisters, daughters and sons, who are sick of being downtrodden by the rich and elite. Why in the world are so many people defending these elite so blatantly and so obviously against their own interests? Moreover, ignoring the problems for the generation of today, caused by those very same rich and elite that we are defending, will not lead to peace or stability. These riots won't be the last unless we address head on the socioeconomic attacks being made on the poor and young (see Robert's predictions from back in 2009).

above, British police defend a JD sports store
from rioters

2. Are these rioters really causing any more damage than the damage done by the bankers who caused the financial crisis that led to all these austerity measures in the first place? I do not at all condone violence, but if we are going to be focusing on preventing or punishing violence maybe we should start by dealing with the biggest and most serious perpetrators. The bankers whose greed and willful recklessness lead to the foreclosure of thousands of houses worldwide, the homelessness of thousands of people, the unemployment of thousands of people should be the ones whose violence we are denouncing. This is not to mention the hundreds of thousands the United States and the United Kingdom have killed in the illegal Iraqi war and the war crimes these countries are committing in Afghanistan and have committed over the last two centuries. The handful of shops burned down by the rioters .... well, that's peanuts compared to the greater institutionalized violence. If only the police had protected our homes and life savings from the bankers as they protect corporate capital!

above: protesters during the Egyptian revolution

3. Unless you're a pacifist, you likely assume that proportionate violence is an acceptable way to react to oppression and to affect change. You accept it in Libya and Egypt - but not in England? Naturally, one could argue that the riots are not a proportionate expression of violence, but let's take a closer look: no one has been killed by the rioters (although someone has been killed by the police and past protesters have been killed by police violence in attempts to past previous peaceful protests). Just because the political agenda of those engaged in this revolt have not made the headlines, doesn't mean this is not a political act. Perhaps if the rioters were white, middle-class college professors we would take it more seriously ...

In sum, I would simply ask for a little more compassion in talking about the people involved in the uprising in the UK. A tad more understanding of the socioeconomic circumstances and increasing oppression of the poor and ethnic minorities couldn't hurt, either. People are furious and desperate, I can't believe people really think this is a surprising or unpredictable reaction. My final plea: question your media sources! Media that only report on what the police and government have to say about a situation are giving a very one-sided account of what really happened.