Could you honestly say you would not have joined in?

[Churchill]

I can answer the OP accurately, because I have been there. I was with a gang of about 25 'mates' who went into Liverpool town centre, as soon as I found out they were targetting students for a thumping and a robbing, I and a couple of others left.
On another occasion I was caught up in a disturbance that turned into a riot, and I beat a hasty.
So I may have had a very colourful and mispent youth, but I can say no, I wouldnt have joined in.

I think I have always preferred single handed rather than mob combat. So if there are any fat, loudmouthed, peabrained nasty sub-intellectual peabrains around, who want their teeth knocking so far down their throat that they will have to stick a toothbrush up their @rse to brush their teeth, please step forward and make yourself known

Bzzzzzzt!! Repetition; "peabrain".

That's just in case MarillionFan didn't understand the first use of the word.

[EternalOptimist]

Bzzzzzzt!! Repetition; "peabrain".

heh heh. you got me

[wobbegong]

That's just in case MarillionFan didn't understand the first use of the word.

I guessed that by his first adjective.

[Gibbon]

How many of us, hand on heart, could say that there is no way we would have joined in the riots?

I am of a certain age now and am fairly confident I would not engage in this kind of behaviour, but I was fairly "colourful" in my youth.

I am not so sure that had this happened around me in my earlier life that I would not have joined in the riots. I do not believe I have ever been a thief and would hope that I would not have joined the looting, but I am not certain.

I am enraged by what I have seen in the last few days and the grumpy old man in me wants to see draconian punishments meted out, but there is a little voice in the back of my head that keeps saying "that's you that is".

Joined in! I've been outside Curries in Leeds for the last two nights and not a riot insight; how can Leeds call itself a major British city when it can't even organise a loot of Curries and I can't get that new condensing dryer for Mrs Gibbon.

Fecking disappointed.

[Paddy]

How many of us, hand on heart, could say that there is no way we would have joined in the riots?

I am of a certain age now and am fairly confident I would not engage in this kind of behaviour, but I was fairly "colourful" in my youth.

I am not so sure that had this happened around me in my earlier life that I would not have joined in the riots. I do not believe I have ever been a thief and would hope that I would not have joined the looting, but I am not certain.

I am enraged by what I have seen in the last few days and the grumpy old man in me wants to see draconian punishments meted out, but there is a little voice in the back of my head that keeps saying "that's you that is".

At any age, I would not have joined in such activities. Looting and vandalism in fact detracts from any causes that I am interest in. The activity of these rioters is nothing more than what is already their daily activity with the exception that they are doing it as a group at the same time. Ie: they are a bunch of thugs anyway.

I am all for political protest but what seems to happen is when there is peaceful protest with unarmed participants; the police will come in with full force and disperse the crowd. When robbers, loots and vandals are armed; the police run away.

[EternalOptimist]

There is one thing that has been mentioned a couple of times, I think it's quite important. The issue of bystanders and spectators.
This must be a nightmare for the police, and a great bit of camoflage for the neer do wells

[cojak]

Well I must say that if it was a looted shop which had trainers or clothes - then no.

But if it was a music shop with a Fender Strat 75 that I had me heart set on - well ....

then despair for modern youth, Alfred. I was reading on another forum that one Fender Strat was used to bash in a Cash Converters and another one was used to break into a Lidls...

[Arturo Bassick]

I am pleased to hear so many of you are so confident that you never would have joined in.

I know I took part in a demo or two when I was younger that threatened to get ugly (but never did). Anti Nazi League ones were the most likely to go off, but there were others.
I attended a few footie matches that did get violent (I stopped attending because of this) but nowhere near me.

Looking back I sometimes think if it had been right in front of me I may not have walked.

I wasnt suggesting any of you would do it now, nor was I suggesting you would loot and burn. Just wondered if any of you had actually asked yourselves the question.

Glad to hear none of you have ever been part of a "mob" and you are all so clean living.

[shaunbhoy]

Glad to hear none of you have ever been part of a "mob" and you are all so clean living.

Don't mention it.

[Incognito]

RichardCranium is presently in police custody.

What's he 'accused' of having done then?