Youths arrested on Princes Street...like it's never happened before throughout the history of Edinburgh?

"Leith Walk", who tries to come across as a local resident rather than the same troll who has been adding all the nasty little comments on G8 posts, hasn't been reading his local papers. The News said the city had seen nothing like it for centuries. Riots - beyind the usual drunken episodes - just don't happen here. So this is new and worth reporting.

this troll thats been hanging around indymedia for days, is a member of the scottish corporate media.

just ignore the sad bastard

Now, now Alex. You've obviously not had your paranoia pills this morning.

It must be very nice to be able to label every one who doesn't agree with you as a troll.

Even nicer to pretend there is only one person who doesn't agree with you, rather than several.

I'm not sure if that's paranoid or just stupid.

In terms of the youths, both yesterday and on Monday, many were fully expecting trouble in the city and as such turned up for a bit of fun. This was due to the hysterical reporting for weeks by the local rag ' the evening news'.

Some I spoke to on Monday were there all day from Canning St to South St David St late on, waiting to be involved in any bother. Others came along and joined once the TV reports began. A lot were looking forward to looting some shops for free clothing, as predicted by the press! The presence of English police officers continuing their normal relationships with authority only added to the numbers roaming around looking to be involved.

Most were from the outer housing schemes and Leith. Most nights these youths hang about the city centre anyway, and, naturally there's always a bit of bother most weekends etc. But, nothing as large and as concentrated as Monday etc. It's usually one gang against another, and unlike years gone by, the numbers are small - the serious problems of heroin and crack abuse has ensnared many young people within the confines of there local streets.

To say the city hasn't experience serious problems for centuries is utter nonsense, however. Large riots involving gangs from around the city were common in the seventies, mostly taking place in Princes St Gdns. Throughout the eighties and early nineties there were numerous riots involving football casuals around the city centre - a problem returning recently (indeed a number were involved in Princes St Gdns on Monday).

In the housing estates there have been battles involving youth gangs, most weeks, since the sixties. In terms of full scale riots, only four years ago there was a large one in Craigmillar between youths and the police. In the eighties, the old West Granton and West Pilton erupted on a large scale around the same time as Toxteth.

In future any activists would do well to engage with the people of the schemes for support. Get involved in local campaigns such as housing, education, health and police abuse (many youths are now on police DNA databases, whether convicted or not).

Taking on the big problems of the world from poverty to capitalism is very important - but equally important is to start engaging with the serious problems within local communities in the city. The Labour party has had a stranglehold on community planning, participation, consultation and decision making for decades. Engage and unite with those disaffected and begin to affect change together.

Good luck in fighting for a better future.