How would you react if you found out a child of yours had been one of the rioters/looters in the UK?

A child of mine would never be involved in such deviltry. The young folks doing this are a bunch of h
ip-hop pot-heads.

Where the hell are their parents?!!!
I wondered the same thing. I do not have children,but if I did have a child that was involved in any damages to property or stealing,they would most certainly have to pay for it…or rather, I would have to pay for it and they would be indebted to me until it was paid for.l’d
seriously question my parenting and watch them like a hawk from then on.

@lucillelucillelucille, my point exactly. It’s being reported in England that some insurance companies may not be paying out either. Not everywhere thats been attacked is a large corporate business that will be able to recover and so some peoples livelihoods are being ruined :(

@saraaaaaa I feel bad for everyone affected by this.

@lucillelucillelucille, thankfully through all the doom and gloom people are grouping together with brooms and cleaning supplies to help everyone recover, which is somewhat of a comfort to know

@saraaaaaa
I watched some video footage last night.Unbelievable.I hope all stays well with you and your family

@lucillelucillelucille Thank you so much :)

Touch wood, things in Leeds have managed to stay relatively calm. I don’t have kids but if I did and they were involved in behaviour even half as bad as what I have seen they would get the hiding of a lifetime, they would then be made to personally hand back any looted items to it’s rightful owner and present themselves at the local police station to face the full legal consequences of their actions.

No child of mine would be involved. I am certain of that. If they were, they would quickly be sorted out especially if they were living under my roof.

@Roby hip hop has nothing to do with this

He should know better but I think it’s been a case of monkey see monkey do, so if he did get involved I’d have to give him the hiding of his life!

I’d probably say, “what the hell is wrong with you?!” before I totally wigged out and really started yelling. This isn’t okay, these kids are just punks

I would be absolutely livid.

I’d be impressed [in a bad way] but I’d tell them they have to deal with the consequences.

I know parents who of all things possible would defend their children in any way possible. Which would be a bad thing unless the teenager is truly remorseful.

I don’t have children. But I have nephews and know I would have raised mine the way my brother and sister have raised theirs. It is just our way. I totally agree with @RareDenver, I would make them report themselves to the authorirties and face the consequences of their wrongdoings.

@saraaaaaa I feel unbelievable sad with what is happening there. I love the UK. My heart is in England and London and is definitely my fave place on earth. I’ve seen the footage of the riots in Ealing and I remember shopping around there a few times (Yeah Primark!!). I also remember seeing groups of teens that scared the hell out of me because of their nonchalant way about them. They are loud, they kick stuff for the fun of it and hang out in groups. You feel so vulnerable should they decide to interfere with you. I know that those are the type of teens that are causing all these problems and it doesn’t surprise me at all.

@raven860 You are sadly right.

@Proifera

Yeah, I know the group of teenager and young adults you are talking about. Such things seriously make me wonder what future is going to be like. Also tools like social networking sites, phones and txt msging are very dangerous in their hands.

I would be very disappointed.

I also would be very disappointed and wonder why he would get involved in such a thing. Did I miss teaching the child something very important when younger?

My daughter, age 15, brought this issue up herself the day it first started. She is horrified by what is happening and she was asking us to explain it. Why are they doing this, she asked. Don’t they know they are only hurting themselves? How can people be so violent?

I’m pretty sure that my son, age 11, would say the same thing.

They have been brought up to understand not just the immediate consequences of what they do, but the consequences of the consequences. The fire bombing of the police station doesn’t just close down the station; it also means the area will have less police protection for a while and that tax money will go to rebuild government offices instead of for education or something they might really want.

If I did know someone, that’s what I would try to get them to understand. They are hurting themselves as well as others, and they are hurting others they don’t even know. They are creating a society of fear, and they will be living in fear, too. When will the cops come and get them? I would urge them to turn themselves in, and to make an effort to make restitution.

I want them to understand the enormity and stupidity of what they have done and I want them to fix it.

smack what the hell is wrong with you you little shit?

Which riots are we talking about? If it’s the ones where people are protesting the police executing a man they routinely failed to convict, then I’d be angry if my child wasn’t out rioting. I’m not for the looting or violence against innocent people, but all of this “hey don’t damage property just because a person was murdered by the cops” shows how backwards the average person’s values are.

Since people are likely to read that comment incorrectly, here is a clear statement of what it already said: I’d be angry about my child participating in looting or violence, but not about my child participating in protests.

@SavoirFaire Riots are characterized by looting and violence towards innocents. That’s practically what they are. Protests are another animal entirely.

I’ve heard things like “two wrongs don’t make a right” and “an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” But “go out and trash other people’s things because you’re angry” is a new one.

My children are 15 and I found out that my son was involved in a crime as bad or worse than this. Where are their parents? Their dad is working all the time, and I am on the other side of the world. (long story) what are we doing about it? I am going there as fast as I can. We have hired a solicitor for my son. Its about the parents not being present enough in their lives, It’s about being allowed to run wild at far too young age. I am sorry for these people- I hope these riotors get caught and have to face charges

“Since people are likely to read that comment incorrectly, here is a clear statement of what it already said: I’d be angry about my child participating in looting or violence, but not about my child participating in protests.”
—@SavoirFaire

Thank you, @Nullo, for proving my point. “Rioting” can be interpreted many ways. These were called riots even before they became physically violent. This is because loud, public disturbances—that is, protests which are not performed by silent or singing marchers—are often called “riots” by the media even if they don’t involve physical violence or looting.

And of course, my point about the relative value of property and people had absolutely nothing to do with justifying any looting or property damage. Read carefully. Or just try reading charitably for once. What I said was that the attitude of “hey don’t damage property just because a person was murdered by the cops” demonstrates that people’s values are backwards. Because this didn’t become a major issue until people started damaging property. That’s bad—I’ve never said otherwise. But what worries me is that more people weren’t upset when the story of police officers murdering a man on the street first broke.

Which is worse: property damage or murder? If you say “murder,” you agree with the only point I was trying to make with that part of my post.

I’d like to think that no child of mine would be so mindless, but, hypothetically, I don’t know what I’d do. I honestly think it would be too late to do anything.

@SavoirFaire I think it’s a bit early to say Mark Duggan was ‘murdered’ by the police. The IPCC haven’t finished their investigation yet and although it appears that he didn’t fire at police a loaded Bruni BBM blank-firing self-loading (semi-automatic) pistol, illegally converted to fire live ammunition, was reported to have been recovered from the scene. He was known to the police and being arrested as part of an operation to specifically combat gun crime.

@RareDenver I’m well aware of the circumstances. I think the man was murdered, and the police are not acting like innocent men. I could be wrong—that’s the risk of having opinions. But anyone in England who thinks he was murdered should be out in the streets causing unrest and making it difficult for the government to get anything done until they figure this out.

My opinion summed up by this woman

@RareDenver Brilliant.

[mod says] Please remember, this question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.

England riots: Would you shop your child to the police?

Great link.