By PAUL ARHEWE
Wrecked: Two police cars used as a road block were set alight during the troubles Since 26-year-old vegetable seller, Mohammed Bouazizi in Tunisia sets himself ablaze after undergoing frustrated attempts at reporting extortions from government officials, the Arab world has never remained the same, but the last of protests and riots is yet to come following the recent upheavals in the United Kingdom. Like wildfires, revolution against insensitive government’s policies has becomes the in thing.
Tunisian government was the first to be sent packing, followed by Hosni Mubarak’s government in Egypt. The Libyan war has stretched and lingered on for over five months now with protesters and rebels calling for Muammar Gaddafi to leave his over 40-year throne , and Syria and Yemen are still at the edge of caving in. The ongoing riots in UK’s capital city, London that started in Tottenham, has spread to other cities and has claimed its first victim on Tuesday with many properties burnt down. The riots, which began last Saturday over the death of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old father of four shot by police, have resulted in the arrest of over 500 people in the initial three days of the insurrections. Prime Minister David Cameron had to recall parliamentary members from their recess and deployed 16,000 police officers on the streets of UK to curtail the spreading riots. Police report says Duggan was shot dead as the force unit in charge of investigating gun crime in the black community stopped the cab he was riding in. Investigation conducted by the UK’s Independent Police Complaints Commission has shown that “non-police firearm” was recovered at the shooting scene. However, report by a UK newspaper reveals that a bullet in the police officer’s radio was one of those issued by the police force.
This indicates Duggan may not have fired at the officer. Attesting to the innocence of the shot victim, Duggan’s partner, Semone Wilson, insists that he is not connected to gang violence and called for more probe on his death. Wilson also rejected suggestion that the widespread riots were linked to protests over her fiance’s death. “It got out of hand. It’s not connected to this anymore. This is out of control,” she told the Associated Press. The spate of destructions carried out by rioters and the dimensions they have taken, may highlight that protesters are not only aggrieved with the police brutality, but are dissatisfied with their welfare and the increasing rate of unemployment in this European state. These riots may be indicating that the UK government need to reappraise the gap between the rich and poor folks and implement policies to bring out an effective distribution of wealth. Bryn Phillips a 28-year-old self- described anarchist and one of the rioters told the Associated Press yesterday, that “this is the uprising of the working class. We’re redistributing the wealth.” Phillips claimed rioters were motivated by distrust of the police, and drew a link between the rage on London’s street and insurgent right-wing politics in the United States.
“In America you have the tea party, in England you’ve got this,” he said. David Cameron, since he took the over from Gordon Brown in 2010 as the British Prime Minister, has enforced policies that has reduced many welfare incentives and benefits to the less-privileged in that society. Last year, there were similar mass protests against the tripling of student tuition fees and cuts to public sector pensions. In November, December and March, a faction of protesters broke away from large marches in London to loot. In the most dishonourable occurrence, rioters attacked a Rolls-Royce carrying Prince Charles and his wife Camilla to a charity concert. The full impact of spending cuts has yet to be felt as unemployment rate remains highest among youth, especially in areas like Tottenham, Hackney and Croydon. Some people caught up in the unrest insisted that joblessness was not to blame. “It’s just an excuse for the young ones to come and rob shops,” Brixton resident Marilyn Moseley, 49 told the Associated Press. Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK, Dalhatu Tafida, told reporters that there have been no negative reports on any Nigerian in the ongoing violence there. “I can assure you that no Nigerian is affected or involved at the moment in the incidents,” Tafida told NAN on Monday. “We are in touch with the community leaders in these areas and as the event keeps unfolding we will get the public informed,” he added.
A Nigerian based in London, who does not want his name in print, told this reporter in a chat on Tuesday that most Nigerians there are keeping themselves indoors, avoiding the rioting youths, many of whom give less regards to lives and properties. He bemoans the state of children over pampering in this clime where security forces would have arrested the situation as in the ‘Nigerian way’. “If it’s ‘Naija’, their grievances would have been sorted out with horsewhip and few bullets in the air, but over here, it’s a criminal offence to flog kids or give them dirty slap!! Discipline has to be restored back into schools and homes.” He said this is the case of sparing the rod and spoiling the child. But some of the rioting youths, like Philips have expressed that their grievance with government is over inadequate concern for their welfares and inequality in wealth distribution.
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