In an interview with The Day, Andrii KRAVETS, reporter at the BBC Ukrainian Service (London), speaks on the ongoing events in London, the factors that caused accumulation of destructive energy in young people and society as a whole, and the necessity to address the problems of the middle and lower classes.
How did British society react to the riots?
“Reactions differ. Naturally, everybody is shocked, scared, and worried over what will follow this. When the first riots flared up [on Saturday and Sunday. – Author], the law-enforcement bodies immediately came under criticism. Everybody was saying that the police were inadequate and sluggish, that they thus allowed looting instead of using rubber bullets, teargas or water cannon. But, as the next events showed, this tactic worked: the police did not intervene on purpose in order to avoid provoking further violence. People are, of course, outraged and shocked to see young thugs rampaging through the streets, breaking windows, smashing and plundering shops. But, on the other hand, many communities react as follows: let us take brushes and brooms and begin to clear up and get back to the normal way of life. This reaction seems to be domina-ting.”
What can you say about the way British journalists are working under these extraordinary circumstances?
“British journalists are working very actively. They always do their duty very professionally, at the local level as well. I think there should be no complaints at all about British journalists. They always try to give a well-balanced coverage of events. As soon as some information comes up, it is immediately highlighted in the press and on television. Journalists go, even risking their lives, to dangerous places, and cameramen film the scene and mingle with eyewitnesses. If you watch TV and read newspapers, you will get a lot of information.”
In what way do you think Europe can respond to the challenges that are emerging against the backdrop of a world financial crisis and dangerous events in Europe itself?
“It is a difficult question. Every government apparently has a program of its own. Protests have broken out in Greece and Spain, embraced almost the entire Europe, which is only natural. Whenever economy goes unstable and unemployment is on the rise, this causes things against which you cannot ensure yourself. Britons are now debating tuition fee increase, as a result of which many young people will be perhaps unable to afford a [higher. – Ed.] education. This means they will perhaps remain unemployed and, accordingly, disgruntled with their living standards. The governments will have to ponder over the employment of those people. Work should also be done at the local level, while MPs and politicians should address these issues and encourage young people to make a concerted effort and join public life. I think Britain should seriously tackle the problems of the lower and middle classes. The same applies to France and other European countries. I have mentioned France because a parallel is quite often drawn between the British riots and student protests in Paris and other cities, where it is a common occurrence now.”
These disturbances were also a shock to other countries. For it is a democratic and tolerant England… And what is your personal idea of what has happened in the British capital?
“A lot of politicians were saying that the policy of austerity might soon result in some kind of protests. The official version of what caused the riots is the killing of a black Londoner. I will not comment on this, while this incident is still being investigated. In principle, all this began with a peaceful protest on Saturday, which eventually led to disturbances and riots in London and then in other cities. Many analysts claim that the main cause was governmental austerity and public discontent about the financial situation in the UK. They needed a ‘match’ of sorts, which finally flared and caused a big blaze. There must be many causes. One of them is that far from all young people are employed. Besides, there are a lot of gangs in London. There are a lot of poor neighborhoods, where it is really dangerous to go out on the street. So all this finally came to a head and touched off this wave of violence.”
