Tottenham in flames as protesters riot

Two police patrol cars, a passenger bus and several shops were attacked and set alight in north London as violence erupted Two police patrol cars, a passenger bus and several shops were attacked and set alight in north London as violence erupted following a protest to demand justice over a fatal police shooting. Police on horseback and officers in riot gear clashed with scores of rioters armed with makeshift missiles in the centre of Tottenham as thick, black smoke swirled through the air. At one point, rioters broke through police ranks and attempted to storm Tottenham’s police station, pelting officers with bricks and bottles. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the trouble began when “missiles” were thrown at parked patrol cars at 8.30pm. He said one was pushed, blazing, into the middle of Tottenham High Street. Neither of the two officers who had been driving the cars were injured. As the violence spread, a double decker bus was set upon. Witnesses said the vehicle exploded in flames after attackers threw home made bombs through its windows. Nearby shops were also set ablaze. Hundreds of residents gathered to watch the unrest and there several were reports of attacks on bystanders. At one point rioters were seen beating up a man attempting to take film footage of the scene. Resident David Akinsanya, 46, said several shop windows had been smashed. “It’s really bad,” he said. “There are two police cars on fire. I’m feeling unsafe. It looks like it’s going to get very tasty. I saw a guy getting attacked.” “The police seem very frightened at the moment, people are unstoppable,” Tottenham resident Maria Robinson told the BBC. “They’ve broken into various businesses, jewellery shops, bookies, it’s absolutely crazy. They’ve beaten up a man for talking to the fire brigade.” Social networking site Twitter was abuzz with messages of support and condemnation for the riots. The violence broke out at dusk after about 120 people marched on Tottenham police station to express anger over the death of local man Mark Duggan last Thursday. Police were unable to confirm whether the violence was connected to outrage over the death of Duggan, 29, who was shot in a police anti-firearms operation in Tottenham. A family friend of Duggan, who gave her name as Nikki, 53, said the father-of-four’s friends and relatives had organised the protest to demand “justice for the family”. “They’re making their presence known because people are not happy,” she added. “This guy was not violent. Yes, he was involved in things but he was not an aggressive person. He had never hurt anyone.” Duggan had been shot in an exchange of fire after the police’s Trident operational command unit, which deals with gun crime in the black community, stopped the vehicle he was travelling in. A police officer was said to have escaped injury in the shoot out when a bullet lodged in his radio. Local MP David Lammy called for calm, saying the community was anxious over what had happened. Nearby Broadwater Farm, where the marchers set off from yesterday, was the scene of riots in 1985 in which a police constable, Keith Blakelock, was killed by attackers wielding knives and machetes. Protest Sarah Bolesworth Barry Neild guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 6, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.