Auckland University sociology professor Alan France says historic racial tensions and “a sense of no future” for young people are likely factors in the ongoing London riots.
Mr France says there is "a sense of hopelessness... and a sense of no future for many" among lower socio-economic ethnic communities in the city.
The majority of the rioters have been young people, who Mr France says are suffering as a result of high unemployment rates and cuts to frontline youth services.
Unemployment is an ongoing issue, he says, but has been made worse by the falling economy and is now likely to be between 35 and 60 percent in some areas.
“On top of [unemployment], this government has cut back on a whole number of resources that are normally available to support young people in those environments.”
He says another factor is the government cuts to the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA), which “was a big source of income for those young people”.
“I think there’s a sense of hopelessness among some of these communities, and a sense of no future for many… I think we have to recognise that young people in these communities have suffered quite badly.”
He says racial tensions may also have been a factor in the rioting, and while race relations “have improved” after riots in Brixton in the 1980s “some of those tensions have never been properly addressed”, particularly around the policing of ethnic communities.
The government has “been caught a little bit by surprise” by the extent of the unrest, Mr France says, and the initial reaction wasn’t strong enough to control the riots.
He says “more and more policing” can be expected over the next few days before questions can be asked about what caused the riots.
“The Government’s only objective is to stop the rioting at the moment – the debates about what caused it will start to follow.”
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