Mark Duggan

"Landep News"

Mark Duggan

The capital of the United Kingdom, London, was jolted by a series of very brutal riots over the weekend in what already was coined as “Tottenham riots,” in which 26 police officers were hurt and 48 people were arrested.

The protests were started by the killing on Saturday of Mark Duggan, 29, who was shot by the police in the streets of north London. The policeman who shot Duggan was also hurt in the shooting, but was taken to the hospital and is now in no danger.

Duggan was according to the police a well-known gangster and had been under surveillance by officers investigating gang crimes in Tottenham.

Independent Police Complaint Commission conducted an investigation into the situation and said that according to their information the police officer was shot first, and that the bullet did not produce any irreparable damage because it hit his radio.

Tottenham Riot

The incident caused the people in this neighborhood of London to take it to streets and demand “justice.” Their protest irrupted in a riot with missiles, Molotov cocktails and fireworks thrown at the police.

Police consider that there is a possibility that people may have died in the buildings that were set on fire during the protest.

The protest continued on Saturday night with breaking into the stores and looting, and with burning stores and flats to the ground.

Police came under serious criticism as it did not intervene to stop the looting until 7:30 in the morning, at almost 12 hours after the riot began. In their defense, the police said that they were only concerned with protecting life and avoiding the escalation of the conflict.

There are rumors that the eruption of violence was caused by the attitude of the police toward a 16-year-old girl who threw an object at the police in front of the police station where families and relatives had come to protest the death of Duggan.

Tottenham Riot

It is said that her action triggered a reaction from the police officers, who knocked her down, and then the people retaliated not only on the street but on the internet also, calling more to come to the protest. The same calls were made by cell phones.

Two police cars were set ablaze, and a double-decker bus soon after that. Fire brigades were unable to reach to the blazes because of the crowds.

Duggan’s fiancé insisted that the riots were not planned and that the crowd gathered in front of the police station only wanted to know the circumstances of the man’s demise.

Police Complaint Commission also dismissed the rumors according to which Duggan has been shot in an “execution-style.”

It is believed by some politicians and even by members of Met Pol that the spending cuts imposed by the government played a role in this riot of the population in the capital, because it has created a social division.

While the Tory politicians consider that ascribing blames is a little premature, the opposition believes that the government should take a part of the blame. Met Pol representatives spoke also about the effect the cuts have on the force’s morale.

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