Is there a revolution taking place in London?
Global Times | August 08, 2011 02:04
By Agencies Share
If it had happened somewhere else, the chaos would have been given a name, such as "chrysanthemum revolution." Instead, it was described as overnight violence followed by looting in local media.
Probably the only logic is since the chaos happened in the UK, the reaction to it by British media was more muted.
What happened in London on Saturday night had all the elements that stimulate the media: an allegedly unarmed man was killed by police, justice-seeking crowd, angry protestors, police vehicles set afire and confrontations between demonstrators and police.
No "oppression" took place of course, police were simply doing their duty. According to a statement from 10 Downing Street, the police and public faced "aggression," and the property damage that occurred was "unacceptable."
British media are neither deeply troubled by the ethnic tension in London, nor are they interested to guess the impact it will have on authorities.
No human rights organizations expressed their concerns about the conditions residents of north London are experiencing.
Pictures at the riot scene are used correctly, instead of showing the angry faces of people from an unknown place.
The British media duly pointed out that the place of the riots, Tottenham, is an economically deprived area where high unemployment has long been a plague. Rioters threw petrol bombs at police, but they are not "suppressed people yearning for their rights."
Since economic recovery is a long-term challenge to the British government, there is no need to worry that "economic growth might enlarge the income gap which could mean more unfairness for minorities."
Violence similar to that which London experienced at the weekend can be found in many other places, from Africa to China.
Not everybody benefits equally from economic growth, or suffers equally in an economic downturn. Dissatisfaction can be brewed, and a large confrontation may be triggered by a small event.
Authorities everywhere will rush to quell the situation from getting worse when in the same situation. Police would be dutifully at the scene to calm the situation and protect the public and property.
But there could seemingly never be a "revolution" in London. If there could be an explanation, perhaps it is that British media are overly worried by what happens outside the UK.
