Rioting in London

So there has been rioting and looting in the streets of London for the past 3 nights. It looks like it's going into a 4th night tonight, since there are reports of new fires being started around London and we can hear sirens constantly.

It started in Tottenham, in North London, on Saturday night after a peaceful protest regarding a man who was shot dead by police last Thursday.

It was supposedly his family and friends protesting the shooting and has escalated into insane senseless violence and destruction. People aren't rioting and looting because of this man, they are using it as an excuse to steal and create fear, and thinking they're getting back at the rich people.

People are trying to explain it, or justify it almost by saying that these people are from poor neighbourhoods with no job prospects so what do we expect? But there's always a choice and there's never an excuse for destroying someones home or business.

Two people have already died, and at least 40 officers and 5 police dogs have been seriously injured. The police seem to be too scared to use force after they were criticised after the last riots, but those weren't on this scale, and everyone's worried if they let it go on another night that they won't be able to stop it. Vigilantes have started patrolling the streets of Enfield in North London, but it seems they're going too far the other way and there have been reports of them attacking any ethnic people they encounter.

It's just insane. Not sure why Londoners are running in fear from a bunch of teenagers, but it's already spreading to Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester.

Source: Daily Mail

Source: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

Source: Daily Mail

There were reports all over Twitter this afternoon that the rioters were heading west, towards Hammersmith, Chiswick and Shepherds Bush. We haven't seen anything yet, can just hear sirens. But all the shops have been shut and boarded up, or have all stock removed or pushed to the back of the stores. A lot of restaurants are also closed, or have moved all tables inside, and not on the street.

People were sent home early in Ealing and Hammersmith, but so far it seems pretty quiet, just a lot of police patrolling the streets, which are almost deserted.