Corporations and the London Riots

Some of the anger of the riots has focussed on chain stores and department stores such as Carpetright, Starbucks, Boots, Comet, Footlocker, H&M, Cash Converters and Halfords.

The corporations have been robbing us blind, controlling every aspect of our lives. Corporations have unprecedented access to the corridors of power and violence by the police is invariably carried out to protect private interest and corporate profit margins. However, police violence is not the only form of state violence perpetrated on the behalf of the corporations: the bloody conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been carried out, in the face of public outrage, to secure resources and markets for corporations. Our culture is controlled by the corporate media and PR companies who tell us what to think, what we need and how to live our lives while what we eat and the ground we walk on is owned and controlled by multinational corporations.

In the face of all this, is it surprising that people have vented their anger and frustration on the corporations and the police who protect them? The looters are simply taking back a little from the very people who have been taking everything from us all of our lives.

There have not only been attacks on the state and capitalism and have burnt down working class homes (above shops), cars and looted local businesses. One answer to this is through communities self-organising to ensure this does not happen and to support a wider sustained resistance against the state crackdown to come

Nick Clegg and David Cameron have appealed to the BBC not to make excuses for the rioters by linking them to the cuts. However, the systematic attack on public services and benefits and the propping up of multinational corporations, as part of a wider system of exploitation and control by the ruling class. Enfield, the scene of intense riots on Monday and Tuesday, is a stark example of a community who have borne the brunt of a crisis which was not of their making. In 2009, as a result of the economic downturn, Ford motors decided to jettison Ford Visteon as part of a downsizing drive. Visteon was closed down in the cheapest way possible, by being allowed to go into administration. This left Visteon's 600 workers out in the cold, given just one hour's notice, little redundancy pay and no pensions.

It is clear that the riots will continue and that there is repression coming, with police talking about using plastic bullets and the media crying out for the troops to be called in. We need to support those arrested and prepare for the inevitable state attacks on these communities.