LONDON – New unrest erupted on north London’s streets late Sunday, a day after rioting and looting in a deprived area amid community anger over a fatal police shooting.
Police deployed extra officers on London’s streets to prevent a repeat of Saturday’s violence in north London’s Tottenham area, which appeared to be quiet Sunday night.
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But disturbances broke out in Enfield, about 5 miles north of Tottenham. TV footage showed riot and mounted police patrolling the streets, and there were also images of smashed shop windows, and police with dogs detaining at least one man.
A peaceful protest against the killing of a 29-year-old man in Tottenham degenerated into a Saturday night rampage, with rioters torching a double-decker bus, destroying patrol cars and trashing a shopping mall in the nearby Wood Green district.
In Enfield, there were reports that a police car was vandalized, and Sky News television reported that several hundred young people were on the streets causing trouble, with footage showing a looted pharmacy.
“We do have extra resources out tonight on duty across the capital,” police commander Christine Jones said. “We are carefully monitoring any intelligence and ensuring we have our resources in the right places. No one wants to see a repeat of the scenes that we witnessed last night in Tottenham.”
In Saturday’s violence, several buildings were set ablaze. TV footage showed the double-decker bus in a fireball and mounted police charging through the streets trying to restore order. Police said 26 officers received injuries, most if not all apparently minor, and made 55 arrests, including four Sunday. The majority of arrests were for burglary; other offenses included violent disorder, robbery, theft and handling of stolen goods.
London’s fire department said it dealt with 49 “primary” fires in Tottenham. No firefighters were injured.
Social networking websites swirled with rumors of other riots beginning or being planned in other areas of the city, but police warned the public not to trust everything they saw on the Internet — adding that officers were keeping a close eye on what was being said online as well.
The violence has cast a pall over a city preparing to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
“I hope people will have a fantastic Olympics no matter what happened last night,” London Mayor Boris Johnson said in a telephone interview with BBC television, trying to assure the world his city was safe.
Others weren’t so sure, suggesting that the riots had exposed incipient tensions at a time of sharp public sector cutbacks and economic uncertainty.
“This is just a glimpse into the abyss,” former Metropolitan Police Commander John O’Connor told Sky News. “Someone’s pulled the clock back and you can look and see what’s beneath the surface. And what with the Olympic Games coming up, this doesn’t bode very well for London.”
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