Riots break out in London. It's not just a handful of youths unhappy with their condition of life, but thousands of them and they're finding out that working together can wreak havoc. What happens when God is removed from the public square, morality becomes disconnected from God, and economic conditions leave the youth hopeless? Despair, Frustration, Sadness---all culminating in riots.
The church has become nothing more than a symbol of Old England and a symbol of legalism and narrow thinking to many of the youth of England. The youth culture has embraced alternative drugs, alternative lifestyles, alternative ways to view the world. Absolute Truth? Rather Relativity where the truth is determined not by what the text intended it to mean, but by what you make it out read. The moral decline of a nation can be seen in divorce rates, out of wedlock births, church attendance among other indicators, but the greatest indicator is the status of a nation's youth. When they are restless, hopeless and unable to find even material purpose during this economic recession, they will rely upon what they have been taught to get them through the tough times. Apparently, the state and their parents have not been able to give them any substantive answers. Why? Hope is found Jesus, no one else.
James 4:
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.
Asked if plastic bullets could be used, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Kavanagh said: 'That's a tactic that will be used by the Metropolitan Police if deemed necessary.'
He added that he was 'not going to throw 180 years of policing with the community away' as the prospect of using the non-lethal ammunition for the first time at a British disturbance was raised.
The army of police officers on duty in London will swell to 16,000 tonight - compared with just 6,000 last night - as reinforcements are drafted in from 26 forces across the country.
Mr Kavanagh said he was sorry 'that London has got to wake up to these scenes'.
'We need to do better for London because those images last night were shocking for everyone,' Mr Kavanagh told reporters.
Every police cell in the capital was full today, forcing officers to transport suspects outside the city.
The mayor Boris Johnson faced calls to resign from angry residents as he visited riot-hit Clapham with Home Secretary Theresa May.
Mr Johnson struggled to make himself heard as he said: 'Tonight we are going to have a huge number of police on the streets.'
He added: 'It is time that people who are engaged in looting and violence stopped hearing economic and social justification for what happened.'
The mayor, who was eventually guided away from the crowds and television cameras, followed other leaders by ending his stay abroad to join efforts to quell the violence that has blighted London.
The move came despite Mr Johnson's aides previously insisting he could deal with the burgeoning crisis remotely as if 'he was sitting in his office'.
Nick Clegg was booed on a walkabout in Birmingham city centre before hurriedly being rushed into a waiting car by police and security staff.
Amid the political backlash, the riots claimed their first life as a 26-year-old man who was shot as he sat in a car during rioting in Croydon died in hospital.
Huge swathes of the capital woke up to the charred debris of burned out buildings and streets littered with waste. David Cameron has recalled Parliament for the day on Thursday as he pledged to bring the situation under control.
Great article here that summarizes the global unrest occuring all over the globe:
Greece--
In late June, riots broke out in Athens and other parts of Greece as the
country's parliament voted to approve severe cutbacks in government spending.
Dozens were hurt and businesses destroyed as police battled rioters with tear
gas and night sticks. Greek lawmakers made the cuts in order to receive more
bailout money from the International Monetary Fund and European Union—or run the risk of defaulting on their debts.
Spain--
In Spain, thousands of people turned out in late May to protest the
country's 21 percent unemployment rate.
They also demonstrated against
government corruption and austerity measures to reign in the country's debt.
Hundreds of people set up tents in a Madrid square and spent a week there in
protest.
Portugal---
Portugal saw massive strikes and protests last March in response to
government spending cuts. At least 200,000 people gathered in Lisbon.
Philippines---
Thousand of workers took to the streets throughout the country
in May of this year to march for higher pay. They demanded better wages in light
of rising inflation, including higher oil prices. They called on the
government of President Benigno Aquino III to do more to help protect
jobs. In reaction, the government held job fairs as hundreds of workers have
been laid off as the economy slumps. Workers say that effort has fallen far
short of what they want.
China---
Nearly 1,000 cab drivers in eastern China blocked traffic and
protested on Aug. 1 over rising fuel costs. It was the latest sign of discontent
about the country's surging inflation. Inflation is hitting China hard, with
food prices recently increasing 12 percent. Many Chinese officials are reported concerned that inflation, along with rising property prices, could lead to even more unrest.This past June, thousands of workers battled for three days with police in the
capital city of the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. They were protesting
declining living standards. The recent protests can be traced back to
February of this year, in what was an attempt to copy the Arab Spring uprising.
That's when calls through Chinese social networks were sent out for an uprising
in several local cities. However, reports say the turnout was small in
comparison to the enormous police presence and there were more clashes between
journalists and officials than demonstrators.
Syria---
In another legacy from the Arab Spring, protests and riots
in Syria against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad have been going on
for five months. Reports say at least 1,600 people have been killed by
government forces. The demonstrations are a combination of calls for economic
as well as political changes. Assad's government has promised a package of
reforms including higher wages, letting political parties exist, easing
restrictions on the media, and a new anti-corruption drive. But so far, none of
the measures has been set in place. Last week Assad sent troops and tanks to
quell the mostly Sunni Muslim city of Hama in central Syria, and the army
launched a similar assault on Sunday against Deir al-Zor. Syria has cracked
down with deadly force on protests in the past. In 1982 then-president Hafez al
Assad—the father of Bashar al-Assad—sent troops into the Syrian town of Hama, killing between 10,000 and 40,000 people. Syria's Arab neighbors as well as the United States have called for Assad to step down. He's ruled Syria for the past 11 years after succeeding his father. Assad says he has no intention of giving up his post as president.
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