UK looting

[Dr Mindbender]

Does the recent UK disturbance represent an upturn in class consciousness or is it just random looting?

[Blake's Baby]

Neither.

It's not 'random' because there are real social and economic causes - poverty, unemployment, lack of social cohesion or even the basis of class solidarity. It's not an upturn in class conciousness either because there's little sense that these are class actions rather than just anger. Anger against the system does not necessarily mean a developing class consciousness.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Austerity is random looting though.


Edit: maybe not random.

[Dr Mindbender]

that is what i suspected. I would not have a problem if they were targeting the really big chains - McDonalds, TESCO etc. It seems to be small to medium business incurring the wrath. This will threaten jobs and harm communities.

Nonetheless it is encouraging to see people channeling their anger against the state rather than scapegoats such as immigrants. Lets hope it develops into something productive.

[Tim Cornelis]

The UK needs a Black Panther Party of some sorth to channel the anger of these marginalised black youths into a political conscious resentment towards capitalism (and the state).

[brigadista]

wasn't the first looting wave from the bankers ?

[punisa]

This is escalation to the global economic meltdown, the anxiety is high and this is the result from the very bottom.
I wouldn't be surprised if such riots start in other major European cities.

[Manic Impressive]

The UK needs a Black Panther Party of some sorth to channel the anger of these marginalised black youths into a political conscious resentment towards capitalism (and the state).

no offence to the black panthers but no thank you. we don't need politics which split the working class along racial lines not when they are currently acting as one.

[Dr Mindbender]

The UK needs a Black Panther Party of some sorth to channel the anger of these marginalised black youths into a political conscious resentment towards capitalism (and the state).

The UK is very different to the US.

While black youth are in significant number, in the UK the most pronunced demographic that is a marginalised minority would probably be youth that are ethnically from the Indian subcontinent.

As has been said it would be disastrous for UK politics to be split down race lines (more than it already is). I think a black panther style party would only agitate BNP style activity into the mix.

[RedAnarchist]

The UK needs a Black Panther Party of some sorth to channel the anger of these marginalised black youths into a political conscious resentment towards capitalism (and the state).

It's not just black people rioting, it's people from many different groups.

[punisa]

First casualty, a young man 26 has been shot and died in hospital.
http://www.jpost.com/International/A...aspx?id=233084

Al Jazeera also reported this.

[Threetune]

[FONT=Verdana]I can remember previous riots and watched as the ‘Militant Tendency’ (of the Labour Party) now calling themselves the ‘Socialist Party’ set-up loud speakers in a block of flats and told the youth on the streets below not to attack the police because they were “workers in uniform”. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]Any movement the sectarian British left can’t parachute into or chuck a net over, they condemn one way or another while they think up ways of channelling class struggle into the safe calm waters of peaceful protest and electoral opportunism. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]This latest uprising is as much a spontaneous attack on the ‘left’ as it is on the system that offers only a future of unemployment, low pay, police harassment, and criminal economic abuse at the hands of landlords, loan sharks, ‘entertain’ gurus, drug barons, and is then insulted by press and TV and the corrupt parliamentary racket, who really are a “law unto themselves”. And that’s all before the opportunism if the religious and community ‘leaders’ come knocking for a free hand out claiming to be able to alleviate the confusion and misery, and inevitable violence inherited from capitalism’s brutal “dog-eat-dog”, “cut-through” competition culture.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]The economic crisis of the degenerate capitalist system, the ‘War on Terror’ and the New of the World ‘scandal’ are not just some complementary backdrops or adjuncts for theses latest riots, they are the conditions which produce the ‘grab it and run’ consciousness at present, not only, or even mostly of the rebellious crowds, but of every bit of personal opportunism deemed necessary for survival as the walls of ‘Babylon’ come crashing down. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]Since forever, the ‘lefts’ have been telling workers to, protest peacefully, vote for the parliamentary racket, because the ‘left’ regardless of all its posturing about revolutionism, has in practice always dumbed down and trashed the real struggle for revolutionary theory about the capitalist crisis in favour of trendy activism that might one day get them elected. Them days are gone, but it won’t stop the ‘lefts’ trying to revive them. Again, if you don’t believe it, just watch out for next weekend’s ‘left’ press response to the riots. Understanding the counter-revolutionary anti-communist nature of the ‘left’ is revolutionary theory and will be decisive for the working class in the battles to come. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]Develop this revolutionary theory![/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]Build Leninism! [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]Oh ye, and read Lenin first hand. [/FONT]

[Obs]

The UK needs a Black Panther Party of some sorth to channel the anger of these marginalised black youths into a political conscious resentment towards capitalism (and the state).

Please infract for racism

[Jimmie Higgins]

no offence to the black panthers but no thank you. we don't need politics which split the working class along racial lines not when they are currently acting as one.

I don't think the Black Panthers caused segregation in the US - they developed in that way BECAUSE the working class was split along those lines. They also consciously tried to reach out to non-black radicals for allies and solidarity even though they felt politically it was important for black people to organize themselves.

But on the whole, a Black Panther Party wouldn't develop in the UK or even US right now because conditions are somewhat different right now: there is not an ongoing militant black liberation struggle in either country for example.

Please infract for racism

What do you mean?

[Obs]

What do you mean?

Assuming it's only black people out rioting because obviously those vile n*****s are just so damn violent by nature. It's basically the same assumptions a right-wing asshole would make, only difference being he's praising "them" for it.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Assuming it's only black people out rioting because obviously those vile n*****s are just so damn violent by nature. It's basically the same assumptions a right-wing asshole would make, only difference being he's praising "them" for it.

Ok, I see what you mean, but it's a bit of a stretch. I was thinking the poster referenced the BPP because of the defense against police violence aspect, not because he was saying that only black people were rioting.

[Tim Cornelis]

Assuming it's only black people out rioting because obviously those vile n*****s are just so damn violent by nature. It's basically the same assumptions a right-wing asshole would make, only difference being he's praising "them" for it.

Where did I say anything about riots? I was talking about marginalised black youths in general and apart from these riots. I can understand you interpreted it to mean that as I ignored white youths (and "brown"), and commented on "UK looting" with singling out black people, but that's not what I meant.

The UK needs a Black Panther Party of some sort to channel the anger of these marginalised black youths into a political conscious resentment towards capitalism (and the state).

EDIT:

What I meant was that if you have a predominantly white anti-capitalist association telling black people "you are victims, join us in the struggle against..." it's easy for these black people to dismiss it as white people can often hardly relate to the issues the black community faces, at least that's the perception--whether accurate is irrelevant. If there is a Black Panther organisation I imagine the black community is more likely to join as they can relate to the issues at hand.

[brigadista]

there is a thread about the Black Panther on revleft please read it - they were the Black Panther party for SELF DEFENCE had to organise to defend their community, they ahd a 10 point plan and joined with other activists

here is the thread

http://www.revleft.com/vb/black-pant...295/index.html

[Obs]

Where did I say anything about riots? I was talking about marginalised black youths in general and apart from these riots. I can understand you interpreted it to mean that as I ignored white youths (and "brown"), and commented on "UK looting" with singling out black people, but that's not what I meant.



EDIT:

What I meant was that if you have a predominantly white anti-capitalist association telling black people "you are victims, join us in the struggle against..." it's easy for these black people to dismiss it as white people can often hardly relate to the issues the black community faces, at least that's the perception--whether accurate is irrelevant. If there is a Black Panther organisation I imagine the black community is more likely to join as they can relate to the issues at hand.

Are you black?

[Old Man Diogenes]

Please infract for racism

This has left me most vexed.