Fisken Hans
1. Give an outline of the views on what caused the UK riots presented in texts 1 and 2
Text 1, a news report from the “Voice of America” website written by Al Pessin, is generally reporting how the UK riots in August happened and why the Londoners thought the riots broke out. Many of them initially assumed that the violence was a backlash from chronic unemployment, slow economic recovery and cuts to public service (site 2, line 12 - 15). They thought that the riot was triggered by a still-unresolved shooting by the police, which cost a young man’s life. But it was just the spark which lighted the fuel. The young people had enough. They begin to loot stores and smash up cars to show their dissatisfaction. But Chris Hamnett lives not far from some of the worst rioting. He said that the rioting is for fun and profit, not for expressing their anger against an oppressive state. He says that the neighborhood where the riots were concentrated had large African and Caribbean populations. He said they generally have less education, more unemployment and higher crime rates. Some people living in the riot-plagued neighborhoods said that they are just looting for loot, with no reason. Also it was in their opinions that the government had to listen to these young people, who just had nothing else to do. But the British primeminister did not do as so. Instead he promised tougher police tactics and more severe punishments.
Text 2, an article from “The independent” website written by Camila Batmanghelidjh, tells how the rioters was looking at the street level people and the government and vice versa. The street level people were not surprised that these events happened. On Twitter and Facebook invitations called on to take part of the riots. They did not think that the community had anything to offer them but they had been “cut off”. The people on the street level had also been concerned about the large amount of young groups creating their own antisocial communities with
Text 1, a news report from the “Voice of America” website written by Al Pessin, is generally reporting how the UK riots in August happened and why the Londoners thought the riots broke out. Many of them initially assumed that the violence was a backlash from chronic unemployment, slow economic recovery and cuts to public service (site 2, line 12 - 15). They thought that the riot was triggered by a still-unresolved shooting by the police, which cost a young man’s life. But it was just the spark which lighted the fuel. The young people had enough. They begin to loot stores and smash up cars to show their dissatisfaction. But Chris Hamnett lives not far from some of the worst rioting. He said that the rioting is for fun and profit, not for expressing their anger against an oppressive state. He says that the neighborhood where the riots were concentrated had large African and Caribbean populations. He said they generally have less education, more unemployment and higher crime rates. Some people living in the riot-plagued neighborhoods said that they are just looting for loot, with no reason. Also it was in their opinions that the government had to listen to these young people, who just had nothing else to do. But the British primeminister did not do as so. Instead he promised tougher police tactics and more severe punishments.
Text 2, an article from “The independent” website written by Camila Batmanghelidjh, tells how the rioters was looking at the street level people and the government and vice versa. The street level people were not surprised that these events happened. On Twitter and Facebook invitations called on to take part of the riots. They did not think that the community had anything to offer them but they had been “cut off”. The people on the street level had also been concerned about the large amount of young groups creating their own antisocial communities with