This is NOT the London Spring

This article is also published on the MasterPeace blog.

Twitter and the blogosphere are alive with the sound of a significant minority of clearly deluded individuals declaring that the London Riots are comparable to the Arab Spring.

The hashtag #londonriots, while primarily awash with tweets of angry condemnation, has been sporadically used to distribute messages such as:

The #londonriots are not just about looting - there was looting during the Arab Spring,this does not negate the overwhelming political cause

Few hundreds of people demonstrating is called "Riot" in Europe, while it's called Revolution/Uprising in the arab world #LondonRiots

Arab Spring becomes an English Summer #londonriots

In line with Arab dictators, Cameron thinks of PUNISHMENT, not reform. #londonriots #UKriots

These messages are both insulting to the Arab Spring and ignore basic differences of not only method but of objective. 

In Cairo, while looting did happen, it was perpetrated by only a tiny minority of those involved in the struggle, the primary offenders being members of the regime’s own security agencies. In London chaos and destruction appear to be the prime, if not the only, method of “expression” these “freedom-fighters” are using. Certainly scenes like this, of a women leaping from her burning flat, were not seen during the Arab Spring.

The notion that this is some sort of class struggle is not without basis. It is undeniable that there is a link between poverty, marginalisation, and justified rage. A key difference between disenfranchised youths in London and those in the Arab world is that they are not channelling their anger constructively. While it is early days (and hopefully there won’t be later days) for the London Riots, I highly doubt we will see a list of of socio-economic and political demands from an organised group of those representing the rioters. 

The element of recent events in London that seems to be the most comparable to the Arab Spring is the outpouring of community spirit in streets where for so long no one has ever even said “hi” to a neighbour. Images of communities working together to clean their streets and help the injured is far more reminiscent of the Arab Spring than the senseless violence being perpetrated by mindless thugs. During the revolution in Cairo, groups of neighbours would keep 24-hour watch over the houses of their friends and families. In London neighbourhoods are clubbing together to buy brooms and working together to reclaim their streets. Tweets to this effect, including the humourous Turkish and Asian groups have stood up to & chased off rioters. Bloody immigrants. Coming over here defending our boroughs & communities ;-) attest to the surge in neighbourly co-operation that the riots have inspired. 

More lucid tweeters have shared comments such as:

The Youth of the arab spring rise up for basic freedoms. The Youth of London rise up for a HD ready 42" Plasma TV #londonriots

How shaming that Arab youth are rioting for freedom and dignity while ours riot for Adidas and £2K tellies. A Lost society. #LondonRiots

These illustrate the point that far from learning from the behaviour of protesters in the Middle-East, these rioters have ignored the excellent example that was set them so recently, and continues to be set in countries such as Syria, Yemen and Israel.