8/8 One Year On: As we approach the anniversary of the London riots, we will be publishing readers’ and contributors’ memories of that darkest of nights, their views and hopes for the future.
Some, though, including one regular reader from the south of the borough, believe that the anniversary could be seen as an excuse for copycat troublemakers
I and many other people believe that those riots are best left to history. To make something of the anniversary of the riots, I believe will be a reminder to the brain dead, and the “let’s go do it again” attitude will prevail.
It has already be in the national press that there could be a re-run of 8/8 during the Olympic Games, when the police will have more than enough to do. Therefore I feel that to make something of the anniversary of that awful day will just encourage it to happen again. I, and many like me feel that it is best left alone.
- Give peace a chance: World Peace Day, September 21
- What are your memories of Croydon 8/8? Email us at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
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I appreciate your correspondent’s concerns, but I think he/she is being naive.
The best way to minimise the possibility of a recurrence of the mindless behaviour we witnessed last August is to hold our politicians’ feet to the fire at every opportunity, along with those of senior management in Croydon Council and the Metropolitan Police.
They know how poorly they performed during and in the immediate aftermath of the riots, and in the 12 months since. Where is the money promised at the time to support the victims whom they failed to protect? In many cases it has been subverted into politicians’ vanity projects; PR exercises designed to secure their re-election.
The police said they were overwhelmed during the riots, but within the past year their senior managers have meekly agreed to cuts in their numbers that will make them even less able to cope if it happens again.
I sat for hours and watched BBC pictures of the House of Reeves burning to the ground; a scene from some disaster movie, except it was real. And not a fire engine in sight; only later did I discover the fire fighters had to watch it burn too, because there were no police to give them cover while they worked.
Have you heard Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, telling politicians that he needs more officers rather than fewer? Of course you haven’t; he has a fat salary and a pension to protect.
Keeping quiet about what happened last year and hoping it will go away is the very last thing we should be doing. By all means, let’s hope for a peaceful, joyful Olympics with lots of medals for British competitors. But let’s make sure our leaders understand there will be no hiding place for them if they let us down again.
I am cross that the Croydon Advertiser has put up street posters suggesting that not enough police will be available due to the Olympics.
It’s like they WANT to encourage idiots and miscreants to riot again – so that they will have something meaty to write about and sell papers on the back of – even if it totally destroys the town – I feel it is seriously irresponsible and does nothing to foster a good opinion of newspapers & journalists (which would be so welcome in the wake of the Murdoch phone tapping scandal etc).
I would like to see the anniversary to pass without any incident at all – actually a week of heavy rain would be welcome – as they don’t riot and loot when it rains.
However any idiots trying it on again may find that both the police and the general public may react differently this time.
Maybe we will just all have a day of thoughtful remembrance of those who lost their homes or businesses last August , or those who have suffered in other ways as a result of what happened last August…….