Politicians respond to riots
The leaders of all three of Britain’s political parties are out meeting members of the public today to try to address the concerns of those affected by the riots.
Prime Minister David Cameron will chair a meeting of the Government’s emergency committee, Cobra, before meeting attendees of the “Not in Our Name” event. The anti-riot gathering, which is organised by youth charities, takes place in Westminster this afternoon.
His deputy Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, will visit Canning Circus police station in Nottingham, which was firebombed during the riots on Tuesday. He will meet community leaders cleaning up the damage, as well as police who dealt with the disorder.
Labour’s Ed Miliband and Tessa Jowell are visiting Brixton, meeting people and businesses affected by the disturbances.
Riots began in Tottenham on Saturday after the death of Mark Duggan, who was shot last week by police, but quickly spread to the rest of London and elsewhere, hitting many other major cities across England.
Read more from Channel 4 News: Bringing help to Tottenham's riot victims
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The meetings are an attempt to show that politicians are in touch with the anger and despair many communities feel in the aftermath of the riots.
Yesterday in Parliament, which was recalled as the violence escalated, the Prime Minister pledged to do “whatever it takes” to restore order to the streets.
Home Secretary Theresa May also announced plans to tackle gang violence.
