Need quick realistic programs
SURPRISINGLY, the Arab springs which started in Tunisia and spread to Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Bahrain have been replicated in other parts of the world like Spain, Italy, Norway, United Kingdom and Israel.
Demands presented by the participants in these springs are all the same — relief and reform. The fatal shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old member of a Jamaican criminal gang in Tottenham Hale, triggered riots in London.
Duggan was killed Saturday while the riots started on Thursday and spread to other cities a few days later.
This incident is considered the worst in decades; hence, the need to pause for a moment to analyze the situation.
Some young gangsters carried out violent acts on Monday. The burning of cars and looting were regarded a hidden snow ball that started from London and headed towards other cities, such as Oxford, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, among others.
It was a combination of anger, outrage and fear that should be given proper attention to bring back peace and order in the society.
The outbreaks have gone beyond the cultural norms of the British society, clearly showing the public lacks understanding of many issues like the changes promised by the candidates in their campaigns, law and order, policing especially the relations between the police officers and youngsters, racism, asylum, immigration rules and other concerns.
Obviously, the unrest is related to the financial crisis, which forced the concerned authorities to make budgetary cuts in social services, health programs, police and military institutions.
This has increased the burdens of the middle and low income citizens and has taken a toll on the general level of homeland security.
In all the cases mentioned above, the youths used social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) to express their anger.
They have resorted to violence to air their grievances.
The government’s announcement of its intention to use an iron fist in dealing with the issue is not the only option, especially since it has been proven futile in the Arab and world springs. The tough cuts should not be brought back as in the 1980s during the tenure of Thatcher, because we are in the middle of an international financial meltdown.
In fact, the best and only solution is to quickly come up with realistic programs to satiate the hunger and thirst of the people, no matter if we are facing blacks, whites or Asians.
Email: Labeed.abdal@gmail.com
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By: Labeed Abdal
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/172605/reftab/73/t/The-unrest-in-London/Default.aspx
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