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Going off in Birmingham?

F | 08.08.2011 18:58 | August Riots | Birmingham

Any news from Brum?

The BBC is starting to report some 'disturbances' in Birmingham, near the Bullring. Any comfirmation of this?

F

Additions

First-person report

09.08.2011 00:29

I’m a mile or so from the city centre, and having seen a report that the unrest had spread to Birmingham, I went with a camera to grab some pics. I came into Victoria Square, and already there was a great deal of tension; a wave of youths came flooding into the square from New Street. I was on the bicycle at this point, and one rioter launched a flying kick at the bike – buckling a component. I thought I was going to be lucky to just lose the bike, but I calmed him down in a few words whilst pedalling away hard. At this point the square was filling quickly with people, and I discover it is not advisable to rely on the faster speed of a bike when a lot of angry people might be inclined to deliberately get in the way.

I doubled back several streets away, where I could safely lock the bike, and came back into the city from the direction of Snow Hill. Corporation Street was looking a bit of a mess, and the Square Peg pub, which would normally be reasonably busy, was closed completely. From here I was able to get into the Bullring via New Street, and also around the back via Union Street. However after maybe 21:45, sporadic riot-police lines were being thrown up to check the flow of rioters.

A lot of the police response felt like whack-a-mole, as some lines were set up, and people were only allowed to pass through one way, and then a commanding officer would shout his team’s code and they would run to the next flash-point. There were several charges from riot police going out of the centre on Corporation Street, into mixed groups of mainly black youth, but the latter would disperse in all directions quickly, and often the police would have to stand their ground to avoid rioters slipping back into cleared streets behind them.

As you can see from the pictures, a number of shops were damaged; the Orange mobile phone store on High Street was missing one of its doors, rioters had clearly been inside, but police had their hands sufficiently full protecting the main Bullring, or forming spontaneous riot lines, or chasing after possible offenders. There were a lot of intrigued passers-by, who snapped pictures of various instances of damage on their mobile phones.

However, having an SLR camera – and intending to looking like a photographer – was not entirely risk-free. I had hoped to blend in with the large numbers of professional media photographers there, but it seemed they at least were smart enough to know when to keep a sensible distance. On Corporation Street, going out of town, past Old Square, the tension increased noticeably, and one (white) thug snarled that “if this was a football match, we’d have had your f*cking camera off you already”, to some laughs of one or two of his (presumably equally violent) friends. I had threats from two separate individuals shouted at me regarding the taking of pictures – it seems any lone photographers at the scene of a looting were at risk of being attacked and deprived of their equipment, presumably with a view to removing sources of evidence.

There were a number of flash-points, and one arrest in the Bullring garnered several popping lightbulbs' worth of photographer attention. No broadcast camera crews were in evidence, so I’d guess that the assembled media were local BBC, local papers and assorted freelancers [though I later found that BBC footage from earlier is available on their site]. To non-rioters, the police ranged from extremely friendly to hostile and jumpy; one PC said that if I didn’t hot-foot it out of the city immediately, my camera would be confiscated as evidence. Normally I’d be inclined to challenge this on the spot, but I didn’t want to lose the pictures I already had, nor have my equipment impounded out of spite! I will see if I can get a badge number, but the low light made some of the pictures quite grainy.

At some point past 10pm, I decided that it wasn’t safe to remain, and disappeared back to the bike.

Jon2


Comments

Hide the following 14 comments

Bullshit Biased Broadcasting Corporation is not a viable news source

08.08.2011 19:39

Is this a joke, is someone now using the Bullshit Broadcasting Corporation as a source of news rather than real news from real people?

anon


Yes it is going off in Birmingham

08.08.2011 19:40

It has started in Birmingham in the last hour or so.............

I am sure more will follow.

helen


Thanks for the confirmation Helen

08.08.2011 19:49

A real person with real news is what Indymedia is about not regurgitating nonsense on corporate news sites unless it is analysing corporate lies

anon


Yes

08.08.2011 20:11

Yep property damage in Brum. In London, it would appear the cops are out of control, overstretched, jus mainly standing round and watching property being smashed up, buildings and vehicles on fire. They are on the backfoot. Huge fire in shop in croydon.

Fb


Fucking huge fire

08.08.2011 20:19

Croydon at furniture warehouse and spread across road.
Trouble now in clapham and queensway.

Fb


Get in

08.08.2011 20:23

Look after eachother brum, solidarity from czech republic.

Loads of people on the ground using twitter to spread updates, birmingham ones on  http://twitter.com/#!/search/birmingham

honza doe


Such a choice

08.08.2011 20:35

Choose your riot, so many to choose from. Better still. Start one in your locality. Spread this and then head to the gates of power. Downing street. Radical revolutionary action. The cops hav lost control. Use the moment in our favor. Fuck the cops, smash the system.
P.s woolwich looking tense, nothing confirmed though.

Jon


FFS Jon

08.08.2011 21:21

Burning down people's homes is not revolutionary action nor is burning down small business owners' livelihoods.

anon


Is this a step towards special measures?

08.08.2011 21:31

It seems that the reports from Birmingham focus on the looting. The cops could stop all this easily but they are not doing so. Do you think, the looting in particular, is being allowed to occur and spread? I think it has all started naturally but perhaps allowed to spread so that some type of special measures can be used? National curfew? Thoughts?

anon


Corrupt criminal media and politicians try to criminalise young people

08.08.2011 22:39

Thanks for the reports. Clear that the corporate media and dodgy politicians are now trying to vilify young people in London as criminals. It seems bribery, corruption, fiddling expenses, handing undisclosed sums to banks and carrying out criminal wars are OK but looting shops with goods made by sweatshop labour in China are OK but which community in England support these dodgy politicians and media with their immoral base? Anyone?

anon


Thanks for the pics jon

09.08.2011 00:15

Reports are coming in of troubles in leeds and liverpool.

anon


Different Jon, by the way!

09.08.2011 00:18

I didn't notice before there is already a "Jon" on this thread. The photos above are mine, so I'll be "Jon2" instead.

Jon2


good first person report

09.08.2011 05:57

very good first person report - I think the youth are very angry and they are unlikely to be friendly towards photographers and this should be borne in mind.

anon