Urban insurrection on Nottingham estate?
FTP | 05.11.2006 08:07 | Repression | Social Struggles
Recent news reports have revealed an incident of unrest in Nottingham in which people built barricades and fought police - prefiguring the mass revolt which could become more frequent in the face of widespread repression.
Interesting to know that we've had our very own little urban insurrection in Nottingham - albeit for rather dubious reasons.
Unfortunately this BBC report is awash with reactionary nonsense; the judge and police treat revolt as simply unthinkable in principle, yet are not able to advance the slightest argument against it.
It's not clear from the news reports exactly what motivated the unrest, except that it had to do with excessive sentencing in a previous case. But it's great to see that as opposed to the judge's irrationalist comments, this kind of thing DOES happen in Britain. It is bound to get more frequent as protest is repressed and social freedoms curtailed, and as the police state becomes increasingly pervasive. The kinds of societies where this kind of thing happens more often than in Britain - societies like France and Greece for example - generally have far more liberties and less neoliberalism than here. Hence, to create a world worth living in, the state must be forced to "tolerate" this kind of thing more and more often.
Let us hope this kind of unrest from each and every aggrieved group becomes more frequent; the state can only lose, and our rights and welfare can only gain as a result.
----------------------------------------------
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/nottinghamshire/6116162.stm
Six jailed over murder case riot
The damage caused by the rioters was estimated at £10,000
Six people who took part in a riot on a housing estate triggered by the outcome of a murder trial have been jailed after admitting violent disorder.
Cars were set on fire and up to 30 people went on the rampage on 1 July in Nottingham after three men began prison sentences for plotting two murders.
John Stirland, 51, and his wife Joan, 55, were executed at their bungalow in Trusthorpe, Lincolnshire, in 2004.
Two teenage girls, aged 15 and 17, were also given two-year supervision orders.
The ringleader Matthew New, 23, from Bestwood, was jailed for three-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to violent disorder.
'Quite disgraceful'
New's co-conspirator, a 34-year-old woman who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a 15-month sentence.
Accomplices Michael Vickery, 19, of Arnold Road, Bestwood, and Luke Rockley, 19, of Arnold Road, Bestwood, were jailed for 10 and eight months respectively.
Two teenage boys, aged 16 and 17, were each given detention and training orders of eight months.
Michael Collins, 26, of Raymede Drive, Bestwood, has denied the charges and will face trial on a date to be fixed.
Passing sentence, Judge Michael Stokes QC described the riot as "a quite disgraceful and prolonged episode of violent disorder".
'No hiding place'
"This behaviour simply cannot be tolerated. We do not have riots in this country where cars are set on fire and barricades are built, whatever point it was supposed to make," he added.
Prosecutor Stuart Rafferty told the court the rioting group were caught on camera ripping up fences, knocking down walls and building barricades across Raymede Drive, causing damage estimated at £10,000.
"It is perfectly plain that the overriding motive of those who took part was to make public their displeasure at the recent conviction of the men for conspiracy to murder and the very lengthy imprisonment they were ordered to serve," Mr Rafferty said.
After the sentencing, Ch Insp Mick Windmill-Jones, from Nottinghamshire Police, said inquiries were continuing to identify other rioters captured on film.
"There is no hiding place," he said.
Unfortunately this BBC report is awash with reactionary nonsense; the judge and police treat revolt as simply unthinkable in principle, yet are not able to advance the slightest argument against it.
It's not clear from the news reports exactly what motivated the unrest, except that it had to do with excessive sentencing in a previous case. But it's great to see that as opposed to the judge's irrationalist comments, this kind of thing DOES happen in Britain. It is bound to get more frequent as protest is repressed and social freedoms curtailed, and as the police state becomes increasingly pervasive. The kinds of societies where this kind of thing happens more often than in Britain - societies like France and Greece for example - generally have far more liberties and less neoliberalism than here. Hence, to create a world worth living in, the state must be forced to "tolerate" this kind of thing more and more often.
Let us hope this kind of unrest from each and every aggrieved group becomes more frequent; the state can only lose, and our rights and welfare can only gain as a result.
----------------------------------------------
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/nottinghamshire/6116162.stm Six jailed over murder case riot
The damage caused by the rioters was estimated at £10,000
Six people who took part in a riot on a housing estate triggered by the outcome of a murder trial have been jailed after admitting violent disorder.
Cars were set on fire and up to 30 people went on the rampage on 1 July in Nottingham after three men began prison sentences for plotting two murders.
John Stirland, 51, and his wife Joan, 55, were executed at their bungalow in Trusthorpe, Lincolnshire, in 2004.
Two teenage girls, aged 15 and 17, were also given two-year supervision orders.
The ringleader Matthew New, 23, from Bestwood, was jailed for three-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to violent disorder.
'Quite disgraceful'
New's co-conspirator, a 34-year-old woman who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a 15-month sentence.
Accomplices Michael Vickery, 19, of Arnold Road, Bestwood, and Luke Rockley, 19, of Arnold Road, Bestwood, were jailed for 10 and eight months respectively.
Two teenage boys, aged 16 and 17, were each given detention and training orders of eight months.
Michael Collins, 26, of Raymede Drive, Bestwood, has denied the charges and will face trial on a date to be fixed.
Passing sentence, Judge Michael Stokes QC described the riot as "a quite disgraceful and prolonged episode of violent disorder".
'No hiding place'
"This behaviour simply cannot be tolerated. We do not have riots in this country where cars are set on fire and barricades are built, whatever point it was supposed to make," he added.
Prosecutor Stuart Rafferty told the court the rioting group were caught on camera ripping up fences, knocking down walls and building barricades across Raymede Drive, causing damage estimated at £10,000.
"It is perfectly plain that the overriding motive of those who took part was to make public their displeasure at the recent conviction of the men for conspiracy to murder and the very lengthy imprisonment they were ordered to serve," Mr Rafferty said.
After the sentencing, Ch Insp Mick Windmill-Jones, from Nottinghamshire Police, said inquiries were continuing to identify other rioters captured on film.
"There is no hiding place," he said.
FTP
Comments
Display the following 5 comments