Debates of all sorts discussion

I haven't heard of them, actually, but discuss!

What is the rioting all about anyways... I heard it was over something really stupid...

Oh odd...

Innocent? Hardly. He was a drug dealer that owned a gun, which I'd like to point out are illegal in England. He may not have shot the gun, but the fact that he had it in the first place speaks volumes. No one knows why he was shot, but I doubt the police would shoot him for no reason.

And people were not just protesting the cuts (which are necessary due to excessive debts Britain has accumulated). Many were looting simply to loot. There were nine year olds out there stealing TVs. If they were rioting, they'd be throwing bottles and setting things on fire. That was only a small part of it. What they were setting on fire were shops, and they only set them on fire after they stole everything of value from inside. Interviews with the rioters showed many did not know what they were "rioting" over, but they had only done it for free stuff. Some rioters were middle and upper class people who did not need to protest cuts, an Olympic representative among them.

It was a disgusting act of violence, and it showed the bad side of English society. Surely if they wanted to protest cuts, they'd protest at the government? Instead, they destroyed the shops of honest people, some of which were almost a century old (the shops, not the people). Moreover, people were scared to leave their homes. To invoke fear in the hearts of regular people is never right.

I'll take this one step at a time. You say that riots seem to erupt whenever the conservative party is in power. I'll make the point that riots erupt whenever any party is in power. There's always going to be a group that is unhappy with the government. Need proof? Here we go.

Peace Day Riots (1919) - Under Herbert Asquith, Liberal Prime Minister

Southall Riots (1979) - Under James Callaghan, Labour Prime Minister

Bradford Riots (2001) - Under Tony Blair, Labour Prime Minister

Harehills Riot (2001) - Under Tony Blair, Labour Prime Minister

Oldham Riots (2001) - Under Tony Blair, Labour Prime Minister

Birmingham Riots (2005) - Under Tony Blair, Labour Prime Minister

And I'm sure there's more, but I don't feel like searching forever. My point is, unrest doesn't just occur when the conservatives are in power.

You admit the cuts have been necessary, good. But it's not taking money from the poor and giving it to the rich. It's taking money from certain areas of the government and giving it to the people we owe money too. It's not like only poor people use the NHS or go to university. And those aren't the only areas that have been cut. Even the Queen has taken a freeze on her salary.

And of course I've heard the stories. But they have nothing to do with the topic we're debating now. I'll address it anyway. I heard the story of that man, and it was very sad. However, the police were in a stressful position, as obviously they had to be on the lookout for any violence to occur. I can't believe the stress that puts them under. I'm not condoning their actions, but I'm trying to give them a better reason for accidently killing the man. I doubt they aimed to kill, or even to maim. This is the same with Mark Duggan, whom the police killed in 2011. Even you cannot deny that he was a criminal. No one knows truly what happened inside the building, but I do not believe that the police walked in and just shot him without provocation. Perhaps he yelled he had a bomb, or that he had a gun in his jacket pocket. They couldn't know, and they had to protect the citizens and themselves. Should they have shot him? Maybe not. But did his death warrent thousands going and stealing from innocent shopkeepers? No.

I do not think I have to look deeper. I know it was much more than just looting. But I think 80% of people were looting. I mean, I was watching the footage on the news. I didn't see anyone holding up signs or chanting. I saw people with hoodies throwing rocks through windows and stealing televisions.

And I find your last question quite offensive. Because everyone that doesn't live in London obviously doesn't know a clue about it, right? No, I don't live in London. But I am a British citizen, visiting London this summer actually, who follows British news more than I follow American news. So no, I am not guessing all of this.