The ‘youth’ revolt in London
by Bekir Çınar*

Government and opposition politicians cut short their summer vacations and returned to London, meanwhile the London police lost control over the riots, which consisted of a series of major incidents such as looting and setting vehicles and buildings alight rather than being a peaceful “protest,” which is proof that the situation is more serious than most think.

The UK has a different social structure than what it may seem from the outside. As is known, this country has five distinct groups -- the Scottish, the Welsh, the Irish, the English and those who were naturalized afterward (the British). The majority of people who have taken an active part in the recent events are youth from the last group, whose parents immigrated to the UK from elsewhere.

As acknowledged in many reports and by many writers, the people from the last social group mentioned above largely consist of people who have emigrated from former colonies and have long been subjected to “institutional racism.” It is more likely that the people belonging to this group (1) have to do the jobs that are not favored by the English or other communities, if they want to work; (2) are admitted to respectable jobs if no other person (from the other four groups) applies to the same position; (3) attend schools that perform poorly in terms of education quality and success; (4) live in housing provided by the state or subsidized housing; and (5) are frequently jailed.

Essentially, the system does not provide these people with the facilities they “deserve”; instead, it pretends to do so. And in return, these people turn to other and mostly illegal activities. Doing business illegally naturally leads to a confrontation with the police. Almost everywhere, people from this group are killed in clashes either amongst themselves or with the police. The important question here is: Who is to blame? The political system or the rioting “youths”?

First, based on comments and analyses made about the recent incidents, it is hard to suggest that the political system has been successful. Indeed, the “lifestyle” tailored for this group may be acceptable to the first and second generations, but not to the third and subsequent generations. They live in England. They have no connection to the countries of their forefathers except via their “culture.” However, instead of adapting itself to the new situation, the system insists on maintaining its unsuccessful policies. The Conservative Party’s perspective in particular has been criticized.

Second, the “financial” crisis that the UK has been experiencing for the last two years and that shows no signs of slowing down is, it seems, very persistent and not a “temporary” situation. This means that not only will more and more people lose their jobs, young people seeking employment will also not be recruited. According to the statistics, the number of unemployed people aged 18 to 24 in the UK is higher than ever before. Therefore, it appears that the UK fails to promise a favorable future not only for the rioting “youth” but also for all young people.

Attempts at ‘revenge’

The third and most important reason is how London police treat members of this social category; i.e., their legal, but “illegitimate” attitude. An examination of how the police treat such members with reports prepared about this matter and interviews that have made with members of this social group will indicate the existence of biased, impartial and, to some extent, coercive practices. In this perspective, riots by these “young people” can be seen, in a sense, as attempts at “revenge.”

Finally, all of the people who join the protests communicate with each other through “social media” and can be quickly mobilized. On the other hand, “police” organizations cannot adapt themselves and their intelligence to this and, therefore, cannot successfully control these groups. For instance, similar riots occurred simultaneously in at least 10 different spots in London on Monday evening, and the police and fire departments could not decide what should be their priority. Of course, we learned that similar riots had also sprung up in Birmingham and Liverpool.

The “West” in general and the EU and UK in particular have brought up a generation of young people who value or care only about “material things” or “welfare.” However, during the last two years, their “welfare” was lost and they could no longer obtain “material things” as they used to. While personal debts are on the rise, “capitalism” urges them to spend money, which psychologically and morally creates a dilemma for them and leads to serious problems in both individual and social life. Considering also the rising “racism” and “discrimination” in these countries, it seems as if the London incidents are a sign of some serious imminent developments not only for the UK but also for other European countries. If the situation is not understood correctly, these incidents could potentially wreak havoc in all countries.