I got a message from a friend of mine in Oz asking me (and I assume the rest of us Merlin fans who live the UK) whether we are alright/safe due to the riots sweeping the UK. I just want to assure people that I am fine, and that yesterday (the second day of the riots) there ARE parts of London that are safe and untouched. It is mainly depressed areas that have kicked up. The only concerning thing is that it kicked off in Hackney too... where the Olympic games are due to be held.
So I feel I should also fill everyone in on what is ACTUALLY happening here in the UK with the riots:
The riots have been going on mainly in London but last night (the third night) have spread to other areas of the country like Birmingham, Bristol and Liverpool. It started when a police officer shot a man in Tottenham. People came out to protest against police brutality and it soon turned into a riot that has spread across the city. They are now becoming something of an anti-government movement, or at least anti-establishment and stealing products from shops. Some parts of the tube have been closed down due to them being unsafe. In Birmingham they set fire to a police station. According to the news it all comes down to people egging on what they're going to do via Twitter.
I went to Acton yesterday to pick up my new kitten (<3) but there was nothing going on there. However as we were driving along the A406 (Northern Circular) there were a few junctions and turn-off points closed because police have been trying to close off areas to the riots. But there hadn't been any riots there.
But basically all these riots have one thing at the back of their mind; the police are the enemy. This riot has been bubbling up for some time as the police have committed some terrible acts against the public in the past which have then been covered up. A couple of years ago the policemen pushed, hit and killed a man who wasn't even part of the protest but just walking home. The unprovoked shove to the ground caused internal bleeding, and then the police tried to cover it up by saying he was a protestor and he has attacked the police first. However a bystander caught the attack on camera (which was made illegal due to the police being embarrassed by getting caught doing this). Then a year or so later at the student protests a disabled boy was dragged from his wheelchair by two police and dumped on the pavement. Together with the reveal that Murdoch's papers helped cover up a lot of what the police got up to and that top offices in Scotland Yards had accepted bribes to sell information to journalists... it was only a matter of time for this all to kick off.
But I'm OK - a friend of mine however had the place she works at looted. That's what they've mainly been doing; smashing up windows and lotting stores. Then another guy I know actually *lives* over a shop in Birmingham. He said they just smashed the windows but he also hid. He's going back to his family home in Essex today - it hasn't kicked off here yet *touch wood*. A couple of my other friends also know people who live in Hackney and they say the streets are a mess.
I really hope it doesn't spread to where I am, though. I live in a small town but they are known for jumping on bandwagons... and I think our police have been called in to deal with the London riots.
