There is a context to London's riots that can't be ignored

Police in riot gear in Enfield, north London, on Sunday night. Photograph: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters Since the coalition came to power just over a year ago, the country has seen multiple student protests, occupations of dozens of universities, several strikes, a half-a-million-strong trade union march and now unrest on the streets of the capital (preceded by clashes with Bristol police in Stokes Croft earlier in the year). Each of these events was sparked by a different cause, yet all take place against a backdrop of brutal cuts and enforced austerity measures. The government knows very well that it is taking a gamble, and that its policies run the risk of sparking mass unrest on a scale we haven't seen since the early 1980s. With people taking to the streets of Tottenham, Edmonton, Brixton and elsewhere over the past few nights, we could be about to see the government enter a sustained and serious losing streak.

ROYAUME-UNI • Jamais sans ma capuche Le dénominateur commun des jeunes pilleurs londoniens ? La capuche, toujours rabattue sur la tête, au milieu des flammes et du verre brisé. The Guardian revient sur cet accessoire typique du "délinquant", qui permet de passer inaperçu aux yeux de la société et devant les caméras de surveillance... On le craint, on le tourne en ridicule, on ne le comprend pas... Bref, le sweat à capuche est mal aimé. Pourtant, ce vêtement de sport utilitaire et extrêmement populaire fait son retour en force au beau milieu des émeutes et des voitures en flammes. En 2005, j’ai couvert les émeutes qui ont embrasé les banlieues parisiennes et j’ai interviewé les adolescents qui avaient participé de près ou de loin à ces événements. "Porter tous les jours des vêtements de loisirs ou de sport, c’est se démarquer de l’univers des bureaux [avec ses costumes] et de l’école [avec ses uniformes]", explique Angela McRobbie, professeur de communication au Goldsmiths College. Et il avait raison.

UK riots: teenager charged with BlackBerry incitement - Telegraph | Riots in London UK Police may ban future marches to prevent disorder Police may ban anti-Government marches through central London to prevent further disorder and strain on officer numbers. Martin Beckford, Heidi Blake and Steven SwinfordTelegraph The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, said that outlawing the demonstations was an option for the authorities but conceded it could anger protestors further. He admitted he was “very worried” about the effect on law and order in town centres and suburbs caused by large numbers of officers being sent to the centre of the capital. Despite widespread criticism over the policing of the protests, and warnings that the Met’s tactics risk leading to the death of an innocent bystander, Sir Paul said he was proud of the professionalism of the 3,000 officers on duty last week. Read Full Article RELATED ARTICLE:Citizens of Europe Rage Against the Machine RELATED VIDEO:INCREDIBLE Raw Video of UK Students Battle Police

teneleventen MPs frozen out of super-secret copyright talks High performance access to file storage The government has refused to give MPs access to papers on international negotiations about copyright enforcement on the internet and at national borders. Junior business minister David Lammy said he could not put documents about the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in the House of Commons Library, because other countries wanted to maintain secrecy. Lammy said he was "sympathetic" to calls for more transparency and had told his officials to press the point at the talks, but added: "Disclosure of any documents without the agreement of all our ACTA negotiating partners would damage the United Kingdom's international relations. "This would harm our ability to protect, promote and secure an outcome in the UK's interest, and the premature release of documents that are not agreed and not fully developed may also have a negative effect on the government's reputation."