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From Enfield to Brixton via Blackberry: London riots day two roundup
As the authorities struggled to explain how they would prevent more trouble and residents expressed anger at the destruction, BlackBerry emerged as the looters' message system of choice
A damaged police vehicle is pictured in Enfield, north London, following a second night of disturbances in London, on August 8, 2011. Photograph: Ki Price/AFP/Getty Images
Police chiefs and political leaders have been struggling to account for a second night of violence and looting in London, much of which appeared to have been organised.
Politicians were facing criticism for being slow to respond, with the prime minister, the deputy prime minister, the home secretary and the London mayor all on holiday at the weekend.
A second night of violence on Sunday was far more widespread and sporadic than Saturday, with looting and vandalism reported in Enfield and Walthamstow in north-east London, Islington in north London, Brixton in the south, and Oxford Circus in central London.
This Google map shows what the police were facing on Sunday night, with incidents reported across a wide area of the capital.
Far from the initial spark of violence in Tottenham, trouble spread to Brixton in south London – the scene of seminal riots in 1981 but today a much calmer, more diverse neighbourhood with an influx of home-owning middle classes priced out of more fashionable areas nearby.
An earlier festival had passed off without incident. But late in the evening, according to Guardian reporter Matthew Taylor, the mood altered.
Debris outside a Foot Locker store in Brixton after it was broken into by looters Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA The Metropolitan police, already struggling under criticism over the phone-hacking scandal that cost the job of its chief officer, appeared on the back foot, lacking the weight of numbers to deal adequately with a disparate and unpredictable threat.
The Met said Twitter users could be prosecuted for incitement to violence. Tim Godwin, the acting chief constable, described the looting as "opportunistic" and promised a "robust" response.
But while the police promised to track down those who it believed had incited the violence on Twitter, it emerged that much of the planning took place in the relatively private world of the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service. The Guardian's Paul Lewis got hold of the message that urged people to Oxford Circus.
This is the full text of the message:
Perhaps fearful of the negative impact of being associated with the "Blackberry Riots", the smartphone company felt compelled to issue a (Twitter) statement saying it was assisting the police with their inquiries.
Meanwhile, as businesses and residents began the clear-up, people caught up in the violence expressed their anger and frustration. David Lawrence, who works with youth organisations in north London, said in a blog post for Comment is Free that he was "embarassed" to live in Tottenham.
In Tottenham, firefighters survey the burnt out shell of a carpet showroom on Tottenham High Road. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images The discount chain was founded by the Tory peer Lord Harris of Peckham in 1988. He has been on the BBC's World at One programme on Radio 4, and promised to help the "working class" people whose homes above his store had been destroyed by the fire.
In the statement, the IPCC commissioner who is overseeing the independent investigation into Mark Duggan's death, Rachel Cerfontyne, said:
A Twitter user going by the pseudonym of InspectorWinter, who describes himself as a "law enforcement officer" in his mid 30s, has written up a detailed blog post of his experiences policing the riots in north London last night.
Often it's hard to verify these anonymous accounts, but this user's feed has thousands of entries dating back months and appears authoritative. In a long and thoughtful post he writes of trying to comfort a shop owner whose livelihood has gone up in flames:
Inevitably, crisis breeds creativity. This time-lapse video, uploaded to YouTube, shows in dramatic fashion how the fires spread in Tottenham on Saturday night and into Sunday morning.
Meanwhile the family of the man whose death is at the centre of the worst riots in London since the 1980s believe the media has "twisted" the truth about him. The Guardian's Patrick Barkham found them in their garden, discussing the traumatic events of the past five days. Bouquets have been laid outside.
By Gaby Leslie | Yahoo! News – 12 hours ago
Politicians were facing criticism for being slow to respond, with the prime minister, the deputy prime minister, the home secretary and the London mayor all on holiday at the weekend.
A second night of violence on Sunday was far more widespread and sporadic than Saturday, with looting and vandalism reported in Enfield and Walthamstow in north-east London, Islington in north London, Brixton in the south, and Oxford Circus in central London.
This Google map shows what the police were facing on Sunday night, with incidents reported across a wide area of the capital.
Far from the initial spark of violence in Tottenham, trouble spread to Brixton in south London – the scene of seminal riots in 1981 but today a much calmer, more diverse neighbourhood with an influx of home-owning middle classes priced out of more fashionable areas nearby.
An earlier festival had passed off without incident. But late in the evening, according to Guardian reporter Matthew Taylor, the mood altered.
The situation and atmosphere changed very quickly and there were reports from some witnesses that the group had arrived together on buses and in cars, but I can not confirm this.
Police appeared unprepared for the clashes and over the next three hours shops along the High Street were smashed and looted.
Men, women and teenagers helped themselves to goods and cash from H&M, Vodafone, McDonalds and T-Mobile, while a major fire took hold in Footlocker.
People were carrying armfuls of clothes and shoes and passing them to friends in cars, carrying them away balanced precariously on the back of scooters or on foot. Although the police had gathered in a nearby side street they did not intervene for more than an hour.
Debris outside a Foot Locker store in Brixton after it was broken into by looters Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA The Metropolitan police, already struggling under criticism over the phone-hacking scandal that cost the job of its chief officer, appeared on the back foot, lacking the weight of numbers to deal adequately with a disparate and unpredictable threat.The Met said Twitter users could be prosecuted for incitement to violence. Tim Godwin, the acting chief constable, described the looting as "opportunistic" and promised a "robust" response.
We will make sure that the stuff that we have seen come off the back of this – which is pure criminality, opportunistic criminality – is dealt with firmly and robustly.
But while the police promised to track down those who it believed had incited the violence on Twitter, it emerged that much of the planning took place in the relatively private world of the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service. The Guardian's Paul Lewis got hold of the message that urged people to Oxford Circus.
I've had multiple sources confirm this was the #OxfordCircus #BBM: http://t.co/slxMOAG #londonriotsless than a minute ago via web 
Favorite 
Retweet 
Reply
Paul Lewis
PaulLewis
Favorite Retweet ReplyPaul LewisPaulLewis
This is the full text of the message:
Everyone from all sides of London meet up at the heart of London (central) OXFORD CIRCUS!!, Bare SHOPS are gonna get smashed up so come get some (free stuff!!!) fuck the feds we will send them back with OUR riot! >:OThe Guardian's media and technology correspondent, Josh Halliday, explained the favour of BlackBerry Messenger.
Dead the ends and colour war for now so
if you see a brother... SALUT!
if you see a fed... SHOOT!
We need more MAN then feds so Everyone run wild, all of london and others are invited! Pure terror and havoc & Free stuff....just smash shop windows and cart out da stuff u want! Oxford Circus!!!!! 9pm, we don't need pussyhole feds to run the streets and put our brothers in jail so tool up,
its a free world so have fun running wild shopping;)
Oxford Circus 9pm if u see a fed stopping a brother JUMP IN!!! EVERYONE JUMP IN niggers will be lurking about, all blacked out we strike at 9:15pm-9:30pm, make sure ur there see you there. REMEMBA DA LOCATION!!! OXFORD CIRCUS!!!
MUST REBROADCAST TO ALL CONTACTS!!!"
Using BlackBerry handsets – the smartphone of choice for the majority (37%) of British teens, according to last week's Ofcom study – BBM allows users to send one-to-many messages to their network of contacts, who are connected by "BBM PINs".
And unlike Twitter or Facebook, many BBM messages are untraceable by the authorities (which is why, in large part, BBM is so favoured by Emirati teens to spread illicit gossip about officialdom).
Perhaps fearful of the negative impact of being associated with the "Blackberry Riots", the smartphone company felt compelled to issue a (Twitter) statement saying it was assisting the police with their inquiries.
We feel for those impacted by the riots in London. We have engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can.less than a minute ago via CoTweet Favorite Retweet Reply
BlackBerry UK
UK_BlackBerry
Favorite Retweet ReplyBlackBerry UKUK_BlackBerry
Meanwhile, as businesses and residents began the clear-up, people caught up in the violence expressed their anger and frustration. David Lawrence, who works with youth organisations in north London, said in a blog post for Comment is Free that he was "embarassed" to live in Tottenham.
I know people who have lost everything they ever owned because their homes were burned down over the weekend. I know people who have worked hard to create successful businesses and now have nothing to show for it. I know people who should be working today, but can't because their workplace no longer exists.Among the most dramatic images to emerge from Saturday night's rioting was the burnt-out shell of the Carpet Right store in Tottenham.
In Tottenham, firefighters survey the burnt out shell of a carpet showroom on Tottenham High Road. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images The discount chain was founded by the Tory peer Lord Harris of Peckham in 1988. He has been on the BBC's World at One programme on Radio 4, and promised to help the "working class" people whose homes above his store had been destroyed by the fire.My real sympathies are with all those people in the flats above me who are working class – and I don't mean that rudely – that have got nothing. They have only got the clothes they are in. The only thing I can say is that I'm pleased they all got out safely, because they could all have been killed.The catalyst for the weekend rioting was the shooting of a Tottenham man, Mark Duggan, on Thursday night. The investigation is being conducted by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which responded to suggestions that it hasn't had enough contact with Duggan's family. The language appeared critical of the Met.
I want to try to help them. I have asked my PR company to find out their names and see if we can get in touch with them, meet them and see if I can help in any way – give them money, or help them with clothes. I feel very, very sorry for them.
In the statement, the IPCC commissioner who is overseeing the independent investigation into Mark Duggan's death, Rachel Cerfontyne, said:
I am aware of various media reports suggesting that we have not had adequate contact with Mr Duggan's family since his death. Following my meeting with the family yesterday (Sunday) I am very clear that their concerns were not about lack of contact or support from the IPCC. Their concerns were about lack of contact from the police in delivering news of his death to Mark's parents.The voice of police officers involved in holding the line during these disturbances is rarely heard. But now, thanks to the ease with which anyone can publish their own accounts, we learn a little more about the thinking of rank-and-file officers.
It is never the responsibility of the IPCC to deliver a message regarding someone's death and I have told Mr Duggan's family that I would be addressing this issue with the Met and that, if necessary, this would become part of our investigation.
A Twitter user going by the pseudonym of InspectorWinter, who describes himself as a "law enforcement officer" in his mid 30s, has written up a detailed blog post of his experiences policing the riots in north London last night.
Often it's hard to verify these anonymous accounts, but this user's feed has thousands of entries dating back months and appears authoritative. In a long and thoughtful post he writes of trying to comfort a shop owner whose livelihood has gone up in flames:
I simply do not know what to say to him ... it's genuinely heartbreaking. I do something I find myself doing a lot over the next few hours, telling him I'm sorry and then giving him a manly hug with a pat on the back. Helmet back on and we're off somewhere else.He goes on to talk of his frustration at not being able to prevent the lawlessness:
I have never experienced looting of this scale, the wholesale sacking of shops is taking place, we know it is taking place and there is nothing we can do about it, a couple of the more hardcore members of my team want to "blat round and stop it", we're outnumbered, we're encumbered by protective equipment and we're drained. If we go blundering into this kind of situation we'll do more harm than good.And he wanted to stress that most police officers understand the frustrations of the community over the shooting in Tottenham on Thursday.
The traditional, stereotypical, image of a public order police officer is that of some knuckle dragging man mountain who's main skill in life is being able to knock a door down in one hit. As I survey the people around me, none of them fit that. They're all reasonably intelligent, in the van there have been long discussions on what the cause of this is. We can understand the anger of the community over the shooting of Mark Duggan by armed police, we know that they want answers.
But we also know that at times the investigative process is painfully slow, waiting for forensics to come back can take a while, the laborious process of locating witness and then taking statements, tracking down CCTV and seizing copies of it, then reviewing it. All of these things are hard enough for us, let alone the IPCC, and I have very little idea of the size of their investigative teams, but I can't imagine they are that large.
Inevitably, crisis breeds creativity. This time-lapse video, uploaded to YouTube, shows in dramatic fashion how the fires spread in Tottenham on Saturday night and into Sunday morning.
Meanwhile the family of the man whose death is at the centre of the worst riots in London since the 1980s believe the media has "twisted" the truth about him. The Guardian's Patrick Barkham found them in their garden, discussing the traumatic events of the past five days. Bouquets have been laid outside.
Unsurprisingly they don't want to speak to the media, who they blame for 'twisting the truth' and telling 'all these lies' about Mark. 'He was a good man. He was a family man,' insists one relative.
Some members of the family want to try to put out a positive message but others are grieving and angered by the coverage in some tabloids. So it is time to leave them in peace. Whether Tottenham will have a peaceful night tonight remains to be seen. A police helicopter is hovering over the high road, where some residents are still without electricity after the riots on Saturday night.
London riots: What could happen next?
By Gaby Leslie | Yahoo! News – 12 hours agoDavid Cameron has announced that an emergency parliamentary debate will be held on Thursday to discuss possible measures to quell the capital’s worst spell of widespread looting and disorder since Brixton in 1981.
With pressure mounting on Home Secretary Theresa May by fellow MPs to impose more draconian measures to stop the violence - here are some of the anti-riot tactics that are being considered so far.
More police
With over 6,000 police out in force last night from across the country (an extra 1,700 police officers from Sunday night) a total of 16,000 police officers will be on duty in the next 24 hours, the Twitter account for the Metropolitan Police warned. Scotland Yard has confirmed that 44 officers have been injured in the waves of ‘copycat criminal activity’ have been been spreading across London. Monday night was classed as the worst night of violence with a reported 20,000 calls to police and 200 arrests last night.
Met Police said in a statement that they used riot vans to push back London protesters on the third night of unrest in London and video footage from last night’s rioting in Clapham Junction, south London, shows armoured police vans being driven into crowds of perpetrators – an apparently successful approach.
Following an emergency meeting chaired by the Prime Minister today, David Cameron said more police will mean further arrests and court procedures will be speeded up. He warned: “Justice will be done and these people will see the consequences of their actions.”
The Metropolitan Police also confirmed today that all police leave has been cancelled and custody suites are full.
Curfews
Met commissioner Tim Godwin made a public statement today asking for a voluntary nighttime curfew and urged parents to do more to keep track of their children. Patrick Mercer, a Tory MP and former Army officer, amongst other MPs is calling for a temporary curfew on young people to curtail the riots.
Diane Abbott, a shadow minister and the Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, also agreed with the imposition of curfews: “These young people, who seem to have no stake in society, are trashing their own communities. We cannot continue to have increasing numbers of looters on the streets night after night.”
Online polls have seen a majority of the public believing imposing curfews would be a suitable response to the current situation.
Army
Bringing in the army as a measure of riot control has not been seen in England before. During the Los Angeles riots in 1992, 12,000 soldiers from the California Army National Guard were drafted in to quiet the unrest. Similarly the British army were present in Northern Ireland during the troubles.
In a Home Office statement, Theresa May said: “We can deal with it with robust policing and with the help of local communities. If there's anybody watching the programme who knows someone who was out on the streets, they should tell the police.
“Police are adapting tactics to deal with disturbances and I met with them this morning to ensure they have what they need.”
Others would disagree. On Twitter, local London MP Grahame Morris tweeted: “Recall parliament: Cancel police leave; Bring in army logistical support for 999 services: Appeal to get kids off the streets: Stop the cuts.”
Until emergency measures are properly discussed in a ministerial debate due to be held on Thursday, it is still unknown whether military presence will be called upon.
Water cannons
Water cannons like those used during the American civil rights movement, sectarian violence in Northern Ireland and 1930’s pre-Nazi Germany have also been rumoured as a possible tactic to prevent the disorder.
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone reportedly believes that police should be allowed to use the weapon to disperse protesters. “The issue of water cannons would be very useful given the level of arson we are seeing here.”
However, the Home Office insisted last night that there were no plans to approve the use of the extreme device on riot mobs, saying: “Water cannons are not approved for use on the mainland by the Home Office. A range of measures are available to the police to tackle disorder and we do not believe water cannons are needed.”
A Scotland Yard spokesman also said officers did not have any water cannons. If their use was approved, they would have to be brought over from Northern Ireland or France where they are used.
BlackBerry Messenger probe
Research in Motion has pledged to cooperate with the police to probe the role BlackBerry Messenger had in spiraling the disorder and to find the people responsible for inciting the looting and violence. It was revealed yesterday that London rioters used Blackberry Messenger to spread the word about looting sprees across the capital and the violence later seen Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham and Bristol.
BlackBerry UK said: “"We feel for those impacted by the riots in London. We have engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can.”
With pressure mounting on Home Secretary Theresa May by fellow MPs to impose more draconian measures to stop the violence - here are some of the anti-riot tactics that are being considered so far.
August 9, 2011. British Prime Minister David Cameron said he would recall parliament from its summer recess for …
More police
With over 6,000 police out in force last night from across the country (an extra 1,700 police officers from Sunday night) a total of 16,000 police officers will be on duty in the next 24 hours, the Twitter account for the Metropolitan Police warned. Scotland Yard has confirmed that 44 officers have been injured in the waves of ‘copycat criminal activity’ have been been spreading across London. Monday night was classed as the worst night of violence with a reported 20,000 calls to police and 200 arrests last night.
Met Police said in a statement that they used riot vans to push back London protesters on the third night of unrest in London and video footage from last night’s rioting in Clapham Junction, south London, shows armoured police vans being driven into crowds of perpetrators – an apparently successful approach.
Following an emergency meeting chaired by the Prime Minister today, David Cameron said more police will mean further arrests and court procedures will be speeded up. He warned: “Justice will be done and these people will see the consequences of their actions.”
The Metropolitan Police also confirmed today that all police leave has been cancelled and custody suites are full.
Curfews
Met commissioner Tim Godwin made a public statement today asking for a voluntary nighttime curfew and urged parents to do more to keep track of their children. Patrick Mercer, a Tory MP and former Army officer, amongst other MPs is calling for a temporary curfew on young people to curtail the riots.
Diane Abbott, a shadow minister and the Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, also agreed with the imposition of curfews: “These young people, who seem to have no stake in society, are trashing their own communities. We cannot continue to have increasing numbers of looters on the streets night after night.”
Online polls have seen a majority of the public believing imposing curfews would be a suitable response to the current situation.
[Video:Injured boy mugged during riots]
Army
Bringing in the army as a measure of riot control has not been seen in England before. During the Los Angeles riots in 1992, 12,000 soldiers from the California Army National Guard were drafted in to quiet the unrest. Similarly the British army were present in Northern Ireland during the troubles.
In a Home Office statement, Theresa May said: “We can deal with it with robust policing and with the help of local communities. If there's anybody watching the programme who knows someone who was out on the streets, they should tell the police.
“Police are adapting tactics to deal with disturbances and I met with them this morning to ensure they have what they need.”
Others would disagree. On Twitter, local London MP Grahame Morris tweeted: “Recall parliament: Cancel police leave; Bring in army logistical support for 999 services: Appeal to get kids off the streets: Stop the cuts.”
Until emergency measures are properly discussed in a ministerial debate due to be held on Thursday, it is still unknown whether military presence will be called upon.
Water cannons
Water cannons like those used during the American civil rights movement, sectarian violence in Northern Ireland and 1930’s pre-Nazi Germany have also been rumoured as a possible tactic to prevent the disorder.
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone reportedly believes that police should be allowed to use the weapon to disperse protesters. “The issue of water cannons would be very useful given the level of arson we are seeing here.”
However, the Home Office insisted last night that there were no plans to approve the use of the extreme device on riot mobs, saying: “Water cannons are not approved for use on the mainland by the Home Office. A range of measures are available to the police to tackle disorder and we do not believe water cannons are needed.”
A Scotland Yard spokesman also said officers did not have any water cannons. If their use was approved, they would have to be brought over from Northern Ireland or France where they are used.
BlackBerry Messenger probe
Research in Motion has pledged to cooperate with the police to probe the role BlackBerry Messenger had in spiraling the disorder and to find the people responsible for inciting the looting and violence. It was revealed yesterday that London rioters used Blackberry Messenger to spread the word about looting sprees across the capital and the violence later seen Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham and Bristol.
BlackBerry UK said: “"We feel for those impacted by the riots in London. We have engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can.”
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