Watching the riots...

[Magpie]

Anyone else watching the riots in Vancouver at the moment?

Pretty scary.

Witness the power of very stupid people in large numbers....

[Sister Hyde]

In Vancouver? no I didn't see that yet, strange it's not the season...usually riots and the smell of burning cars is for september/october

[Bob Hinton]

True

Anyone else watching the riots in Vancouver at the moment?

Pretty scary.

Witness the power of very stupid people in large numbers....

A riot is the most frightening thing to face. You cannot argue with it, you cannot reason with it, you cannot direct it, you can only stop it with overwhelming force.

[Magpie]

A riot is the most frightening thing to face. You cannot argue with it, you cannot reason with it, you cannot direct it, you can only stop it with overwhelming force.

Sadly, Bob, the police don't seem to want to do that.

It was hours before they even broke out the riot squad and mounted police.

[glyn]

Almost impossible to deal with a riot..especially when some idiot is directing you, from the back, with an official Rule book. The Rule book should read ....1..shots above the rioters heads..2. loudspeaker order to disperse....3....1 minute then rifles shouldered and aim for the heads(live ammunition)...and the survivors get to clean up the mess.

[Bob Hinton]

Greetings.

Almost impossible to deal with a riot..especially when some idiot is directing you, from the back, with an official Rule book. The Rule book should read ....1..shots above the rioters heads..2. loudspeaker order to disperse....3....1 minute then rifles shouldered and aim for the heads(live ammunition)...and the survivors get to clean up the mess.

Sounds like you were at some of the parties I attended. We used to form a line across the street in the path of the rioters. Two men carried a banner which when unfurled read "Disperse or we Fire" in English and the local language. If they failed to disperse the officer would pick a target, man in check shirt, call out the number of the rifleman and that would be it.

"No 4 target to your front man in check shirt one round fire"

As the man was falling we had snatch squads with batons and gym shoes who used to run forward and grab the ringleaders.

The thing that really angers me about rioters, then and now, was that although they say they are protesting against some global problem, Capitalists, Global Warming or whatever, it's always Joe Blogs who got it in the neck. The poor buggers in Singapore and Hong Kong didn't have a lot and to see it all smashed up by some thugs protesting against Imperialism really got to me.

It's the same today with the recent riots in London. The headlines were Prince Charles car was attacked, what didn't get so much attention were the twenty or so taxis smashed up - effectively putting all those blokes out of work.

One thing I've found out in trotting round the world, no matter what the cause, or how grand the rhetoric, it's always the people at the bottom who suffer the worst - and I've found that from Vietnam to Afghanistan.

[kensei]

I am at a completely dumbfounded loss to understand sports riots. For one thing, they seem to happen both as celebrations of wins and as protests of losses. And with the latter, what are the people thinking? Seriously- SERIOUSLY- are they actually thinking that if they break enough windows and burn enough cars that just maybe the result of the game will be reversed and they will get to win? Surely alcohol must play a major role. Otherwise, how in the world could people choose to ruin their own lives over something so trivial? What I would really, really like to see is one of these people made an example of after being arrested, put on t.v. and asked, "Tell us why you did it." Is there really any answer they could possibly give that would afford them any dignity at all?

Sorry, but no matter how many people are fascinated with it, sports are not really important. That became clear when we had to ask ourselves, just exactly what has O.J. Simpson contributed to our society? He carried a football. That's all. It's absolutely amazing how many people considered that more important than how he hacked two people to death. Now its hockey in the spotlight, but what's the difference?

It seems that people who live in whatever region like to ally themselves with their local sports teams and pretend that they are somehow linked to the success or failure of those teams. Hey, my team just won the championship, that means I rule! Hey, my team just lost, that means I'm pissed off! I think I would like to ask those people- what if sports didn't exist? Would you still have things in your life that you felt gave you meaning? Think of this- the players on most professional teams are recruited from far and wide rather than being born and raised in the towns they end up playing for. Their success or failure has nothing whatsoever to do with the character of the community they sign on to. And yet, when they lose, people are actually so offended that they go out and set cars on fire?

Wow. Just wow. Nothing else to say.

[Bob Hinton]

Sorry, but no matter how many people are fascinated with it, sports are not really important.
.

Another voice of sanity. We used to have a chap called Ray Gravell in Llanelli who played rugby. He died a couple of years ago. Now I know he played rugby and did some charity work but good grief you would have thought he wrote the ten commandments. They have Ray Gravell Days and events, they have erected statues to him, it's just totally silly for so much fawning adulation to be heaped on a person who quite honestly hasn't really done anything of any note.

There are so many people locally who work tirelessly for good causes but who never get a mention - presumably because they never played Rugby!

[glyn]

Sounds like you were at some of the parties I attended. We used to form a line across the street in the path of the rioters..

I was present at the odd riot in Northern Ireland,tis a pity all bullets had to be accounted for.Then as now I suspect,too many rules to follow,while the enemy has none.
In a democratic society ,there are any number of outlets to voice disgust or protest peacefully.Of course one could argue that politicians never listen anyway,and that violent protest is the only action that ultimately changes things.In fact history shows that to be true.Nevertheless a majority of these rioters are just looking for something to riot about,and an opportunity to loot.Im afraid the only thing these Idiots understand is brute force unfortunately.Mustnt dissapoint them.

[Bob Hinton]

I was present at the odd riot in Northern Ireland. .

I'll never forget my first trip to Belfast - it appeared to be on fire! Just like those old newsreels from the Blitz, wherever you looked there was smoke and flame. That was in '69.

[glyn]

I am at a completely dumbfounded loss to understand sports riots. For one thing, they seem to happen both as celebrations of wins and as protests of losses. And with the latter, what are the people thinking? Seriously- SERIOUSLY- are they actually thinking that if they break enough windows and burn enough cars that just maybe the result of the game will be reversed and they will get to win? Surely alcohol must play a major role. Otherwise, how in the world could people choose to ruin their own lives over something so trivial? What I would really, really like to see is one of these people made an example of after being arrested, put on t.v. and asked, "Tell us why you did it." Is there really any answer they could possibly give that would afford them any dignity at all?

Sorry, but no matter how many people are fascinated with it, sports are not really important. That became clear when we had to ask ourselves, just exactly what has O.J. Simpson contributed to our society? He carried a football. That's all. It's absolutely amazing how many people considered that more important than how he hacked two people to death. Now its hockey in the spotlight, but what's the difference?

It seems that people who live in whatever region like to ally themselves with their local sports teams and pretend that they are somehow linked to the success or failure of those teams. Hey, my team just won the championship, that means I rule! Hey, my team just lost, that means I'm pissed off! I think I would like to ask those people- what if sports didn't exist? Would you still have things in your life that you felt gave you meaning? Think of this- the players on most professional teams are recruited from far and wide rather than being born and raised in the towns they end up playing for. Their success or failure has nothing whatsoever to do with the character of the community they sign on to. And yet, when they lose, people are actually so offended that they go out and set cars on fire?

Wow. Just wow. Nothing else to say.

But the hooligans arent sports lovers....they are hooligans pure and simple.If they werent rioting at a liverpool match ,theyd be rioting at a cricket match ,or heaven forbid a Bowls tournament.Liverpool fans vs chelsea fans, Mods vs rockers,faschist vs anti fascist,hells angels vs skinheads ,its all the same thing just a different wrapper....its tribal,the need to belong to a group,its part of the human psyche, fuelled by tetesterone,it aint gonna go away any time soon.
As for sport not being important,I suppose it isnt in the wider scheme of things,but then again what is? If a true sports fan can go to a match and get enjoyment for 90 minutes ,Iguess thats important to him ,and if he is elated if his team wins and depressed if his team loses ,whats so bad about that?The majority Dont riot,just a few idiots.And why just use Sport as an example? People kill,rob and riot over trivial things like politics ,religion and lots more besides.

[Ally]

Hope the Town Pants are okay. They just had their van broken into and all their equipment stolen and now there's a riot right before their benefit concert. Maybe I won't be visiting Vancouver after all...seems like a real nice place. WTF. Over a freaking game.

[glyn]

I'll never forget my first trip to Belfast - it appeared to be on fire! Just like those old newsreels from the Blitz, wherever you looked there was smoke and flame. That was in '69.

What exactly was it all about Bob? peacekeeping duties ,which led to us being fired upon by both sides,betrayed on many occasions by the irish police, and being labelled the bad guys,finally ending up with an abject surrender .(whatever else the labourites may call it)And ex terrorists,now in positions of power within the N.I government,weapons caches almost certainly intact,ready for next time.Such a waste of time,money ,effort and above all Squaddies lives,makes one want to weep.
Coincidentally ,met Ian Paisley,he wasnt at all the Demagogue he was painted out to be.He did an awful lot for both Catholic and Protestant communities,which he never got credit for ...in the English press anyhow.

[Blackkat]

This is so stupid. No offense but I've never been a fan of sports. How dumb over a game, and thinking of all the innocent people who will get hurt because of this. Just ridiculous.

[Bob Hinton]

Greetings.

What exactly was it all about Bob? peacekeeping duties ,which led to us being fired upon by both sides,betrayed on many occasions by the irish police, and being labelled the bad guys,finally ending up with an abject surrender .(whatever else the labourites may call it)And ex terrorists,now in positions of power within the N.I government,weapons caches almost certainly intact,ready for next time.Such a waste of time,money ,effort and above all Squaddies lives,makes one want to weep.
Coincidentally ,met Ian Paisley,he wasnt at all the Demagogue he was painted out to be.He did an awful lot for both Catholic and Protestant communities,which he never got credit for ...in the English press anyhow.

It was all about groups of gangsters, just like the Mafia, who found a way to get some of the public on their side. It is well known that in the early seventies the IRA and the UVF met to divide up the rackets, in exactly the same way the gangsters did in Chicago in the 30's.