Punish looters, but fix the root cause of UK riots

While television coverage of riots and looting in London evoked memories of Kenya's saddest chapter in early 2008, Ravi Somaiya, a reporter with the New York Times had this to say: "A couple of months ago Britain was Harry Potter and the Royal Wedding. Now it is phone-hacking and riots in the street."

Depending on their position in the global political divide, some media commentators reflected the bias, others the disjointed reactions and others, the polarisation playing out in the streets.

Some gloated at UK’s turn to host unruly mobs at home, while many others snorted down the nostrils at ungrateful wretches that would do anything to bring a good society down. Were these assessments fair? Perhaps. Too harsh? Perhaps. Ignorant? Most certainly.

Recent revolutions sent autocratic regimes packing, but again there have been just as violent street protests elsewhere in the world. And regardless of the motivation, looters and anti-social elements will take advantage of the temporary lapse in authority to plunder and pillage.

Those that demonised all immigrants as having a streak of pyromania and a love for all things free missed the point. Looters and street muggers do not have a nationality or tell-tale mark on the forehead.

True, the riots were sparked off by a trigger-happy policeman, but that is the excuse for the mayhem rather than the explanation.

Historical injustices

The officer may not have been xenophobic. He may just have made a lousy judgement call. The backlash, however, was not proportional to the alleged crime. For no number of burnt shops, homes and "rich folks" mugged will create more jobs and usher in an equitable society.

Now that politicians were stunned by the ferocity unleashed by a gun incident, it should galvanise them into unearthing the alleged historical injustices and simmering bitterness the rioters put out to dry.

Whether it was cuts in social spending, the teenage bad-boy culture, marginalisation, police brutality, godsend opportunity to join the Joneses or even racism, find it. It is buried there somewhere.