It’s sort of shaming when you think about the kind of social unrest that’s been going on in Egypt or Syria or Libya, where people are demonstrating against something. The riots didn’t seem to be about anything, they were just focused on violence and looting … or have I missed something?
It’s no way to make any point, smashing windows and stealing shoes. And I don’t think it’s reflective of Britain today, I really don’t. That’s the upsetting thing about it: people in other countries will think of these troublemakers as being symbolic of what Britain’s like at the moment. And that’s not been my experience at all.
It’s all very well to say people in Peckham or wherever don’t have any money, but the people who were out on the streets were not stealing food.”
via The Sunday Times