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You are here: Home / Immigration / The Brown Enemy Within / Sharif don’t like it

Sharif don’t like it

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Clash of civilizations, failure of multiculturalism, etc.:

“We’re here to protect the town. What went on last night was a disgrace. It shouldn’t be allowed. We’re taking a stand.”

On Monday night, the Turkish business owners in Stoke Newington, North London, chased a gang of rioters out of the area and last night men stood guard with baseball bats and fire extinguishers. In Whitechapel groups of Muslim men gathered outside the East London mosque to defend it and repelled looters from a bank.

Reader Interactions

91Comments

  1. 1.

    blahblahblah

    I wonder why the cops are nowhere to be found. My, one might think the U.K. government has something to gain in all this anarchy and social disorder!

    Agent Provocateur much?

  2. 2.

    Martin

    Can’t wait until we see how those photos of Muslims wielding baseball bats is used in a few months.

  3. 3.

    The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik

    Cue the usual suspects chiming in with ‘The riots can’t be all bad if the scary Mooslims are against it’ and the like in three…two…one…

  4. 4.

    evinfuilt

    @Martin:
    I’m going to pretend that won’t happen so that I can enjoy this moment. This is the first bit of news on the London riots which makes me smile.

  5. 5.

    Villago Delenda Est

    If these Muslim merchants were beating up on brown people, that’s perfectly OK.

    It’s when they start seeking to impose Sharia law on white people that they become a problem.

  6. 6.

    Campionrules

    Good.

    Regardless of the innate desire by certain groups to put their own political spin on the riots – it really is just a bunch of thugs looting shoes, electronics and other goods.

    Plus they are destroying small business and peoples living spaces. Useless and counter-productive.

  7. 7.

    trollhattan

    Awesome story. “Clash of civilizations” writ small. Reminds me a little of Korean shopkeepers during the Rodney King riot (except everybody had guns then–see how much better it is in Armed America?)

  9. 9.

    Violet

    Read yesterday that bats and similar things were top sellers in sporting goods stores in the UK over the last few days.

  11. 11.

    Xof

    But, other brown people were rioting, so that more than cancels it out. After all, brown people are a homogenous group to be judged by the behavior of the individuals (if they can be said to have individuals) that matches the desired result most closely.

  12. 12.

    BGinCHI

    Cameron: “It’s a failure of responsibility.”

    Well, the rich fucking Tories should know.

    Look in the mirror, motherfucker.

  13. 13.

    mass

    The first question that popped into my head: Why would they bother to protect the bank from being looted? Irony defined!

    Neighbors helping neighbors is great. But I have to wonder how many bankers were manning a post to protect small businesses and homes from the hooligans.

  14. 14.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @BGinCHI:

    “Responsibility for thee, but not for me!”

    It’s how Cameron thinks, and it’s common amongst politicians on both sides of the pond.

  16. 16.

    NSinNY

    I’m just a lurker here, but I would be remiss if I didn’t note that DougJ is pretty much the greatest blogpost title writer working on the internets.

  17. 17.

    Roger Moore

    @blahblahblah:

    I wonder why the cops are nowhere to be found.

    Because they’re too busy protecting rich white neighborhoods to be overly worried about what happens in poor minority neighborhoods. At least that would be my presumption from the behavior of LAPD during the Rodney King riots.

  19. 19.

    Zifnab

    Damn the failure of multiculturalism. If England is ever to unite, they all need to be rioting. WTF is this shit?

  26. 26.

    Anya

    Interesting BBC interview of Darcus Howe, a West Indian Writer and Broadcaster about the riots. The interviewer tries to twist his words. When did journalists stop being curious to know what actually happened.

  28. 28.

    MikeJ

    @blahblahblah:

    I wonder why the cops are nowhere to be found.

    The Big Society says that people should get together and start their own neighborhood police, fire, garbage, postal, and school services rather than involving the gubbmint.

    Yes, the right are just as looney in Engerland, plus they have that annoying garden gnome Nick Clegg tagging along.

  29. 29.

    Brachiator

    Clash of civilizations, failure of multiculturalism, etc

    Bullshit. Various groups protecting themselves, peacefully, are Sikhs and other ordinary British citizens.

    Reclaiming the streets: Sikhs defend their temple and locals protect their pubs as ordinary Britons defy the rioters

    Big article and pictures here.

    And for those who are very slow, Sikhs ain’t Muslims.

  30. 30.

    Roger Moore

    @LittlePig:

    Aw, dangit Doug. Now that damn song is stuck in my head.

    That’s odd, because the one that’s been stuck in my head all week is “The Guns of Brixton”.

    You can crush us
    You can bruise us
    But you’ll have to answer to
    Oh, Guns of Brixton

  31. 31.

    NCSteve

    Baseball bats? Yeah, right. It’s well known that Brits luvs them some baseball, so undoubtedly the equipment for the game is ready to hand for most shopkeepers. Did they wear football helmets too?

  33. 33.

    Svensker

    Yes, but the Mooslins made the other folks riot because they stole all the jobs, also too our dates.

  38. 38.

    Anya

    @Campionrules:

    Regardless of the innate desire by certain groups to put their own political spin on the riots – it really is just a bunch of thugs looting shoes, electronics and other goods.

    Have you ever heard of Structural violence? That’s what Darcus Howe was talking about in the video that I’ve linked above.

  40. 40.

    LittlePig

    @Roger Moore: Since my knowledge of The Clash is limited to what I heard on MTV (yeah, I’m that old), my choices are pretty much limited to this and “London Calling”.

  41. 41.

    Southern Beale

    OT but whatever … apparently New Balance is in hot water because their chairman of the board made a $500,000 donation to Mitt Romney’s Super Pac. Gay rights groups are up in arms, and now the shoe manufacturer is trying to distance itself …

    This is my brand of running shoe, and as any serious runner knows, your brand is very personal. I’ve used New Balance for years. They’re made in the USA and they’re a good shoe. Still, I’m pretty disturbed by this news, enough to go back to Saucony for my next shoe buy. Hell, my marathon days are long behind me anyway, so fuck it.

    So tired of the overlords and their suckitude.

  43. 43.

    Jewish Steel

    with baseball bats

    Big League Society.

    Hardly patriotic. What’s wrong with cricket bats?

    eta: NCSteve thunk it first!

  44. 44.

    Brachiator

    @Roger Moore:

    I think you need to get your snark detector checked; your current model apparently didn’t even notice that this was DougJ posting.

    I don’t assume that everyone who reads Balloon Juice is attuned to all the nuances. And one poster wondered how people would react to Muslims protecting their stuff.

    And as is typical, folks (even DougJ sometimes) confuse snark with wit.

  45. 45.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Brachiator:

    And for those who are very slow, Sikhs ain’t Muslims.

    Piffle I say – As an American who watches TV I know Sikhs have beards and that makes them Muslims, just like Indians, Mexicans and Ethiopians.

  46. 46.

    Violet

    @Southern Beale:
    I used to love New Balance too, but switched to Saucony. Have you tried Brooks? I loved them for awhile, but at one point went back and the “new and improved” version of the shoe I loved didn’t work for me.

    I’m glad the overlord was found out. At least we proles have the option of boycotting the company. That’s about all we can do, but bad press and lower sales aren’t nothing.

  49. 49.

    Johnny Gentle (famous crooner)

    The riots seem like the perfect opportunity for wingnuts to claim that none of this would’ve happened if everyone had guns instead of fire extinguishers.

    Because, of course, only the good guys ever end up with guns.

  51. 51.

    Amir Khalid

    @Jewish Steel:
    For one thing, they have a flat hitting surface. This spreads out much of the force of impact, if you’re hitting a person rather than a cricket ball.

  53. 53.

    Roger Moore

    @LittlePig:

    Since my knowledge of The Clash is limited to what I heard on MTV

    Yeah, I vaguely remember that MTV used to play music back in the day. Of course I didn’t have cable back then, so this is more a rumor for me than an actual experience. In any case, you should definitely get yourself a copy of “London Calling” (the album). You’ll understand a lot more of DougJ’s post titles.

    @Jewish Steel:

    What’s wrong with cricket bats?

    They’re heavier than baseball bats are, especially when compared to modern aluminum aluminium models. I suspect that round clubs are also easier to use than flat ones, so a baseball bat is a better choice as a rarely used personal defense defence weapon.

  57. 57.

    Campionrules

    @Anya:

    mmmm…yes. Structural violence. Interesting theory. Probably has some real truth in it.

    However, you tend to combat structural violence theory by by creating a wider range of social services i.e. a social safety net. Of which Britain has an extensive one – cut partially by austerity now – but still an extensive net. No where near the crappyness that we have in this country. Yet, we’re not experiencing wide scale riots.

    Granted I get there can be other things at play and nothing exists in a vacuum – but you cannot deny that the social safety net of Britain is immense and wide ranging even after the austerity cuts when you compare it to the rest of the world, especially the United States.

    I liked the video – just have a hard time agreeing fully with “Structural” theories. It seems like it get used as a crutch to dismiss any personal responsibility.

  59. 59.

    trollhattan

    @Southern Beale:

    Veddy interesting because NB at this moment are fighting proposed trade deals with Vietnam et al that will essentially kill their last US factory’s ability to compete. I don’t believe for a nanosecond that Mittens ain’t all-free-trade, all-the-time, so why the support?

  60. 60.

    trollhattan

    @Violet:

    FWIW NB is pretty rare in offering different widths, which makes them an important option for hard-to-fit folks. I’ve used their 8##-series trail shoes for backpacking and am usually able to get a proper fit.

  61. 61.

    p.a.

    @opal: Are baseball bats a common item in England? Should it read cricket bats? Or are American gunmakers exporting baseball bats there because they can’t overrun the country with guns?

    Also, too: maybe the use of baseball bats, if true, is the main indicator of any (ahem) multicultural effects?

  63. 63.

    Violet

    @trollhattan:
    Yeah, I remember the sales person explaining that when I went to get fitted for new running sh o e s. I have a wide-ish foot, but am not terribly hard to fit. I have had injuries related to poorly fitting running footwear, so I am very understanding of those who need a certain kind of size.

    Brands seems to changes the lasts from time to time and that means I have to change to a better fitting brand.

  64. 64.

    R-Jud

    @p.a.: No, it’s baseball bats. There are little league teams here– not many, but some– and there are a number of US air bases here. And American football leagues for adults, too. My husband played baseball as a kid and currently plays football.

    It’s raining hard right now in Birmingham, so things should be quieter here tonight.

  65. 65.

    Roger Moore

    @p.a.:

    Are baseball bats a common item in England?

    Apparently so. If you watch British TV, you’ll occasionally see a character grab a baseball bat to use it as a weapon, and I strongly suspect that’s their most common use there. They’re not a bad choice, either. They’re relatively cheap and effective, but have a convenient dual purpose so nobody can complain about you having one.

  67. 67.

    Martin

    Sharia Law! There’s an app for that!

    KANSAS CITY, Mo (Reuters) – A $500,000 gift from the embassy of the United Arab Emirates to spend on laptops is the latest donation aimed at helping tornado-damaged Joplin, Missouri, schools prepare

    I think Issa’s congressional committee should investigate whether Muslims now have the capability to create F5 tornadoes at will in order to infiltrate and indoctrinate America’s schoolchildren.

  68. 68.

    Anya

    @Campionrules: Totally agree with you about personal responsibility but those issues are real. Many young people want to get out of the council houses, but they’re faced with racism and are targeted by the police. Also, if we’re talking about responsibility, how about we talk about the responsibility of the police and society to these young people.

  69. 69.

    superluminar

    @R-Jud:
    I used to be in a little league team here, but there wasn’t enough interest so it died out after a couple of years :(
    Anecdotally, Roger Moore’s right, most people I know who own baseball bats have them for protection purposes, not sports.

  70. 70.

    j low

    Michael Goldfarb was on Talk of the Nation today saying that if only the British would stop prosecuting the police for murdering innocent people (Ian Tomlinson), then they would have been more willing to knock heads and could have stopped the riots. Clearly we don’t have that problem in the U.S.

  72. 72.

    scav

    Yep. Big Society in action: DIY policing. Cameron should point to the success of his policies because it’s clearly working — so why is he blathering on about water cannon which is just another big-government pseudo-solution to a problem the wisdom of the crowd has already got sorted. Should be floods of our Gaultian overlords arriving in Heathrow any day now.

  73. 73.

    trollhattan

    @Violet:

    Before my ankles mocked any further attempts by me to run, I’d look high and low for running shoes I liked then buy two more pairs before they were discontinued. The “new, improved” models never fit the same and I always had to start my search from scratch.

    (Same deal with hikers, but the armoring, sole stickieness, etc. are as important as fit.)

  74. 74.

    R-Jud

    @Maude: Oh, I’ll be fine. I’m 8 miles from the city centre on the edge of farmland. There’s nothing to steal around here except sheep from the park. So as long as they don’t all suddenly want new girlfriends, we’re fine.

  76. 76.

    superluminar

    There’s nothing to steal around here except sheep from the park. So as long as they don’t all suddenly want new girlfriends, we’re fine.

    wait, you live in Wales?

  77. 77.

    J. Michael Neal

    @R-Jud:

    So as long as they don’t all suddenly want new girlfriends, we’re fine.

    Hmmn. Maybe I should riot and pillage in a ring 8 miles from the center of Birmingham until I find the right place.

  79. 79.

    Origuy

    I’m vacationing in Britain at the moment. Fortunately, I’m nowhere near London or Birmingham. Newcastle is quiet as far as I know, and I doubt York will have problems. I’m flying out of Manchester in a few days, though, and I hope the place I’m staying is far enough out of the city to be calm. The place I was in on the night after I arrived, though, was in an area that could be having problems. The Manchester Evening News article makes it sound like there’s organized looting. I think I’ll stay out of Leeds on the way back.

  80. 80.

    Brachiator

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: RE: And for those who are very slow, Sikhs ain’t Muslims.

    Piffle I say – As an American who watches TV I know Sikhs have beards and that makes them Muslims, just like Indians, Mexicans and Ethiopians.

    As I said before, some people confuse snark with real wit.

  81. 81.

    nellcote

    This is good news for Rupert Murdoch as it gets his hacking scandal off the front pages. Plus he sells more papers.

  83. 83.

    Davis X. Machina

    If you want American-made New Balance — and you should, so some of my students’ parents have jobs up heah in Maine — shop carefully and check labels. It is most definitely not the case for their whole product line.

  85. 85.

    daverave

    Maybe someone’s already mentioned this but I can’t help speculating, and it would be irresponsible not to, that the evil Murdochs are behind the rioting since the beginning. Notice how its gotten their little kerfuffle off the front pages over there?

  86. 86.

    Loonesta

    I am pretty sure the line from Clash’s ‘Rock the Catbox’ is “Sharia don’t like it.”

  88. 88.

    jenn

    @Southern Beale: Huh, that does suck. I’m surprised. Still, I’m remaining a New Balance customer, just because of their commitment to American workers, alone out of the major running shoe companies.

  89. 89.

    Hbin

    @Brachiator:

    And one poster wondered how people would react to Muslims protecting their stuff.

    What’s wrong with that? You really don’t think in today’s climate that image won’t be used against Muslims in the future – depicting them as vigilante mobs and such? Wow, usually you sound so smart in your comments, but I can’t believe how naive you’re being here.

  91. 91.

    Samara Morgan

    /yawn

    if you think that cant happen here, just wait ol’ Dirty.

    Simon Moore, a researcher with the Violence & Society Research Group at Cardiff University in Wales, thinks there’s one factor that may be uniting all the rioters: The perception that they have low status. In research he conducted last year with colleagues at the University of Warwick, Moore found that low economic rank — being poorer than others in the same geographic region — rather than actual poverty, which is defined as not being able to afford things you need, elicits misery.
    __
    Along with misery, a fair amount of research has found that low status also leads to feelings of animosity, Moore said. “[Yet] another area of work suggests low status elicits stress, and this is implicated in aggression,” he wrote in an email. [Is Rage a Mental Disorder?]
    __
    Martin Luther King Jr. had a similar take on the psychology of the disenfranchised: “There is nothing more dangerous than to build a society with a large segment of people in that society who feel that they have no stake in it; who feel that they have nothing to lose. People who have a stake in their society, protect that society, but when they don’t have it, they unconsciously want to destroy it.”

    n/e one ever hear of the Tulsa race riots? it was surprisngly left out of my american history curriculum.
    or maybe unsurprisingly.

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