The Positive Side Of Rioting

It's all too easy to focus on the hugely negative aspects of the violent behaviour this week and indeed at times words are difficult to find to summarise events. Attempting to explain to my 8 year old son what was happening brought home how pointless and without reason the actions were. Clearly, politics, economics, poverty or the shooting by the police of a man carrying a loaded pistol had little to do with the motives of the majority.

Bringing Out The Community Spirit
(Image © Burma Democratic Concern)

As one tweeter put it last night 'only in the UK could people wearing £100 trainers and organising violence on their £300 smart phones claim poverty'.

And yet times like these bring real heroism to light. Jozsef Toth who walked in front of a group of riot police asking the rioters to cease their hostilities in order that an injured, elderly woman could be rescued, a group of Sikh's banding together and protecting their community, Millwall fans out in force safeguarding the local community, staff in a restaurant using rolling pins to  protect innocent customers from rioters and worshipers in a mosque defending that building and then the wider community from the onslaught. And of course the twitter account set up to clean up our capital, which led to 100s of residents coming out together to protest in a different way.

One of the most touching stories of all was that of the 80 year old owner of the burnt down furniture business who, after seeing his family business burnt to the ground was still keen to get the delivery van in and get orders out to customers. Still desperate to do an honest day's work even after what he had been through The irony of that, that many of the rioters and looters have never bothered to do a days work, sums it all up for me. For them, violence, looting and complaint about people not doing enough to help them presents a much easier way out.

For me, it's people like this that deserve the gongs in the honours lists. People who are focussed on protecting their community, safeguarding other individuals and continuing to work hard in the light of extreme adversity. These are the people that make Britain strong.