London News

london riots, london, what happened in london, london riots 2011, london riot - England have canceled Wednesday's international soccer friendly with the Netherlands at Wembley on police advice as forces focus on dealing with rioting and looting in the capital.

"It is with regret that Wednesday's international fixture with Holland at Wembley has been called-off," the English Football Association (FA) said in a statement Tuesday.

A number of Tuesday's English League Cup fixtures, including West Ham United's game against Aldershot Town and Charlton Athletic's match with Reading have also been canceled.

British Prime Minister David Cameron is to hold crisis talks later Tuesday after three nights of riots, looting and arson by masked, hooded youths wrecked shopping streets in many parts of London and spread to other cities across the country.

The riots have spread to the midlands city of Birmingham, where England play India in the third test starting on Wednesday, as well as Liverpool and Bristol.

(Reporting by Neil Maidment; Editing by John O'Brien) - london riots, london, what happened in london, london riots 2011, london riot -


London News Bulletin: Youth Loot, Burn and Battle Cops for Second Night

london riots, london, what happened in london, london riots 2011, london riot : Looting and violence continues

Shops were looted and youths clashed with police in Enfield

Police have condemned a wave of "copycat criminal activity" across London in a second night of looting and disorder following riots in Tottenham.

Officers had been attacked and a number of police vehicles had been damaged, the Metropolitan Police said.

A Footlocker shop in Brixton, south London, was set on fire while other nearby stores were looted.

Three officers were hurt when a vehicle hit them as they tried to make an arrest in Waltham Forest, east London.

Disorder has also been reported in Enfield, Walthamstow and other parts of the capital.

Clashes broke out in Enfield, north London, on Sunday evening where shop windows were smashed and a police car damaged.

'Copycat activity'

Several arrests were made but police said the situation there had now been contained.

There have been reports of a gang of up to 200 youths looting shops and charging police in Coldharbour Lane and the High Street in Brixton, south London.

The Met said it had dealt with several incidents of "copycat criminal activity" across the city.

These included:

--Three officers injured after being hit by a vehicle in Chingford Mount, Waltham Forest, at about 00:45 BST
--More than 30 youths vandalising and looting a number of shops in Walthamstow and Waltham Forest
--Vandalism carried out by about 50 youths in Oxford Circus, central London
--A police vehicle being attacked in Islington, north London
--A Tesco store in Ponders End being attacked and items stolen

Journalist Padraic O'Brien told BBC 5 live he had witnessed widespread looting in Brixton.

He said: "They smashed a William Hill, they set bins on fire, etc...

"And now what we're seeing as the night progresses is that replicated, sort of flashpoints all along Brixton High Street.

"I've seen a Vodafone looted, I've seen a Footlocker looted and set on fire, I've seen Marks & Spencers attacked.

"I've seen a striking number of mobile phone stockists that have been targeted.

"I'm standing outside Halfords on the other side of the road and they've just smashed through the doors of Halfords. They're taking bikes out the front entrance.

"I have to say, what really struck me was the small number of police officers that there actually seem to be on Brixton High Street responding to this."

Press Association photographer Lewis Whyld saw looters battle police at a Currys store in Brixton.

He said: "A couple of 100 youths were rioting and looting. Riot police went in to get them out and there was a big fight in the street.

"Youths were throwing rocks and bottles and there was a bin on fire. They used a fire extinguisher to push the police back so they could get back into Currys and continue taking things out."

Rhoda Dakar also saw the trouble in Brixton.

He said: "I saw smoke coming from one side of the railway bridge. The was a strong toxic smell in the air.

"Youths were looting and running with poles - at that point I chose to leave and go home.

"You could tell youths were just out there waiting for something to happen."

Met Police Commander Christine Jones said: "This is a challenging situation with small pockets of violence, looting and disorder breaking out in a number of boroughs.

'In harm's way'

"We have deployed units across London and continue to move quickly to deal with any reports of criminality as soon as possible.

"Officers are once again putting themselves in harm's way to arrest those responsible and prevent further crimes. I am proud of their dedication and bravery.

"I, along with the vast majority of Londoners, condemn this mindless criminality. It serves no purpose and only results in the destruction people's livelihoods and communities."

london riots, london, what happened in london, london riots 2011, london riot, London Fire Brigade said it had been called to a number of fires in Enfield, Brixton and Walthamstow, including a fire at a shop on Brixton Road where 30 firefighters were tackling the flames.

The disorder follows rioting in Tottenham which broke out on Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning.

A peaceful protest over the fatal shooting by police on Thursday of 29-year-old Mark Duggan descended into violence later in the evening.

The unrest spread into nearby Wood Green and Tottenham Hale. Shops were attacked and looted, 26 police officers and three others were injured and buildings and vehicles were set alight.

Parts of Tottenham are still cordoned off, as officers and forensic specialists continue to examine the riot scene.

As well as Mr Duggan, a police officer was also shot in Thursday's incident, which happened in what was called a "pre-planned" event, under Operation Trident, which investigates gun crime in the African and Caribbean communities.

London

Riots spread in London
Looting and arson by youths organizing on social media have moved into tourist areas of the capital and to Britain's second-largest city. Some see it not as a protest, but an opportunistic crime spree.

By Janet Stobart, Los Angeles Times

Looting and arson by gangs of youths spread Monday from poor northern districts of London to the south, to tourist areas of the capital and to Britain's second-largest city as police flooded the streets and announced scores of new arrests.

london underground map, london riots 2011, london tube map, london map, london tottenham  So, the city’s on fire, looters roam the high streets, maybe it’s kicking off in Birmingham and Leeds, too. Consider this an open thread to blame Twitter and praise the Big Society.

Prime Minister David Cameron and other senior officials broke off their vacations and returned to London to try to stem the worst outbreak of urban violence in Britain in a quarter-century. It started Saturday night after a peaceful protest over the police shooting of a 29-year-old man in an operation to control illegal firearms.

Some community leaders say the violence appears to also be a reaction to frustration over high unemployment and cutbacks in government services in mixed-race, low-income neighborhoods.

Others called it merely an opportunistic crime spree by youths who figured out that by organizing through social media, they could outwit the outnumbered police. Youths wearing balaclavas and wielding sticks and iron rods meet up to vandalize and loot shops where they can smash windows or break open the doors.

Shops shut early Monday evening and all London's district governing councils were on alert. Police warned residents to be vigilant as news of rioters fanned through the city. Some people out shopping or on errands found themselves caught up in aggressive mobs of youths.

By Monday afternoon, London police had arrested 215 people and charged 27 with burglary, theft and violent disorder.

Home Secretary Theresa May, who broke off her vacation to deal with the crisis, said 35 police officers had been injured since the riots began. May called the violence unacceptable. "There is no excuse for looters, thuggery or violence going on in the streets," she said.

Cameron was to hold a meeting of an emergency management team Tuesday morning london underground map, london riots 2011, london tube map, london map, london tottenham .

Violence has spread from the Tottenham district, where it broke out late Saturday, across other low-income, multiethnic districts in north London. On Monday, trouble broke out in the northeast borough of Hackney, and in the southern areas of Lewisham and Peckham, where buildings, cars and buses were set on fire and windows were smashed. Some looting was reported in Oxford Circus in the city center.

In Birmingham, Britain's second-largest city, youths broke windows and looted stores; police arrested at least 35 people. Rioting was also reported in Liverpool.

The number of police across London in full riot gear had been tripled since Saturday, Deputy Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh told the BBC, and more police were being brought in from outside the city. Mounted police moved in to support the ground force in controlling rioters in Hackney late Monday.

Many residents of the communities said they regarded the rioting as vandalism rather than a legitimate protest. But Elizabeth Pears, a freelance journalist from north London, also told the BBC, "There are a lot of angry young people, there is high unemployment and youth centers have been closed down, and there is a problem with relations between the people and police."

Critics say the government was ill-prepared to handle a law enforcement crisis. Government ministers were on vacation, and the London police force lost its chief and deputy chief, who resigned over the recent phone hacking scandal.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who returned to London on Monday, said the riots had nothing to do with the death of 29-year-old Mark Duggan in the police action in Tottenham. "It was needless, opportunistic theft and violence," he said. He rejected criticisms that the government had left the country rudderless in a summer of social and financial troubles.

Stobart is a news assistant in The Times' London bureau london underground map, london riots 2011, london tube map, london map, london tottenham .

    * London riots in Tottenham raise alarm London riots in Tottenham raise alarm
    * Protesters, police clash in London Photos: Protesters, police clash in London
    * London police appeal for calm after riots, looting London police appeal for calm after riots, looting
    * London riots Graphic: London riots
    * London riots Photo: London riots
    * Police, rioters clash in western China; four dead Police, rioters clash in western China; four dead