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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Police calm London riots

Far-right group’s head seeks clash with rioters

People pose for photos in front of a burning car set alight during the second night of civil disturbances in central Birmingham, England, Tuesday. (Associated Press)
David Stringer Associated Press

LONDON – Thousands more police officers flooded London streets Tuesday in a bid to end Britain’s worst rioting in a generation as nervous shopkeepers closed early and some residents stood guard to protect their neighborhoods. An eerie calm prevailed in the city, but unrest spread across central and northern England on a fourth night of violence driven by poor, diverse and brazen crowds of young people.

Scenes of ransacked stores, torched cars and blackened buildings frightened and outraged Britons just a year before London is to host the summer Olympic Games, and brought demands for a tougher response from law enforcement.

London’s Metropolitan Police department put thousands more officers in the streets and said that by today there would be 16,000 – almost triple the number present Monday. The department said a large presence would remain in the city through the next 24 hours at least.

Britain’s riots began Saturday when an initially peaceful protest over a police shooting in London’s Tottenham neighborhood turned violent. That clash has morphed into a general lawlessness in London and several other cities that police have struggled to halt with ordinary tactics.

While the rioters have run off with sneakers, bikes, electronics and leather goods, they also have torched stores apparently just for the fun of seeing something burn. They were left virtually unchallenged in several neighborhoods, and when police did arrive they often were able to flee quickly and regroup.

Some saw Britain’s economic crisis and deep cuts planned to socials benefits as a deeper underlying cause for the outburst of violence – though few rioters said it was their motivation.

The show of strength by police appeared to have quelled unrest in London late Tuesday, but in a move that could raise tensions, a far-right group said about 1,000 of its members around the country were taking to the streets to deter rioters.

“We’re going to stop the riots – police obviously can’t handle it,” Stephen Lennon, leader of the far-right English Defense League, told the Associated Press. He warned that he couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be violent clashes with rioting youths.