Sunday, August 7, 2011

Victim's family condemns rioting

The family of a man shot dead by police say they "are not condoning" the riots and looting that rocked north London, leaving 26 police officers injured.

The trouble flared up in Tottenham, north London, two days after Mark Duggan, 29, was gunned down.

It followed a peaceful march by members of the local community demanding "justice" for Mr Duggan's relatives.

Community and political leaders were swift to criticise the rioting, looting and arson that swept across the area after the protest by community members demanding "justice" for Mr Duggan turned nasty, with buildings and vehicles including a double-decker bus and two police cars engulfed in flames.

People were left destitute after being forced to flee their burning homes, and looters went on the rampage in a retail park near Tottenham Hale Tube station, grabbing whatever they could.

Scotland Yard said 26 officers were injured during the unrest, and 42 people were arrested for offences including violent disorder, burglary and theft. All the injured officers have now been released from hospital.

Mr Duggan's brother's Shaun Hall told Sky News: "We're not condoning any kind of actions like that at all. It seems to be the press who are generally saying that it is linked to my brother. OK, some questions were supposed to have been answered, they weren't answered, therefore there was a domino effect from that, we don't condone that at all.

"I know people are frustrated, they're angry out there at the moment, but I would say please try and hold it down. Please don't make this about my brother's life, he was a good man."

Downing Street called the rioting "utterly unacceptable", while Home Secretary Theresa May said: "Such disregard for public safety and property will not be tolerated." Meanwhile, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said he was "appalled at the scenes of violence and destruction", while local MP David Lammy also condemned the rioting.

While many local residents were dismayed, others voiced the fury that had fuelled the disturbances. One 18-year-old man said: "Police know what they should have done, they should have come to speak to the community themselves," he said. "They don't care. You get no opportunities around here. The police stop you because you're black. They stop you because you're wearing a hood."

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