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Of course the Government has plenty to do with it. This may just be the Hackney version (and it's well-known that criminals will exploit unstable conditions), but it's essentially the same thing as what's been reported from elsewhere without apparent involvement from criminals. It's the Government's incompetence, hesitation when there should be no hesitation, going ahead when there should be no going ahead, and like the icing on the cake, the damaging Cummings affair.
And everyone parked up (illegally) in the bus lane on Homerton Road:
Depends on what time it was. The bus lane has limited hours of operation. If it was after 4, it wasn't unlawful. Here's the sign giving the hours of operation (slightly obscured):
What was definitely illegal parking was that on the double yellow lines of the eastbound lane.
Don't confuse out and out criminality with not following government guidance, the idea that the (fairly notorious) gangs round here are going to do that is laughable tbh.
I can guarantee you that the vast majority of people who went to the party are not criminals. They'll have been a mixture of gang members, people with very marginal gang involvement, people who are sick and tired of staying indoors, people who have taken the Cummings signal and are fully intending to play by Cummings rules from now on, and people whose mates told them about the party and who just tagged along. Sure, the initial impetus may have been given by gangs, or one gang, but it's not as simple as that.
There was a picture in the Gazette this week of a heap of empty bottles and bottle boxes around a bench on the Marshes, so this wasn't the first time people left a large amount of litter there.
I think it then moved to Detmold Road (note, Detmold is not the Pembury Estate).
The initial report to police on Tw*tter was about the Pembury (Eltham House). I wouldn't be too surprised if there had been more than one after-party. To potentially add a third, there's a report on the Gazette web-site today about the Springfield Estate:
No idea which one was the biggest--perhaps the Springfield one was--, but that was clearly not the only thing going on last night.
Civil disobedience, which this was, is not far from civil disorder, and both are manifestations of bad government. The buck stops at the top.
Oliver Schick-
I agree with you that probably the vast majority of people at that party weren't criminals, but there is no way the latest revelations about Cummings have had a big effect in the estates near me.
I'm regularly in the Clapton Park Estate and there have been big groups of young men (demographically most likely to not follow the guidance according to various police forces, and also of course most likely to get caught up in gangs) hanging out in a non-socially-distanced way pretty much since the start of lockdown. Weeks ago this changed to even bigger, mixed sex groups.
I don't think they give too hoots about Cummings-gate, which is ultimately a middle class diversion about something not actually that important, other than in principle (as he didn't actually put other people at risk, although he could have done).
Fox
Johnson/the government have nothing to do with this.
I was warned to stay away from the marshes yesterday evening because our local gangs were organising a party. Then this happened:
And everyone parked up (illegally) in the bus lane on Homerton Road:
Then left some nice litter for the council to clean up.
I think it then moved to Detmold Road (note, Detmold is not the Pembury Estate).
Don't confuse out and out criminality with not following government guidance, the idea that the (fairly notorious) gangs round here are going to do that is laughable tbh.