A gang of lawless teenagers descended on the main street of Clapham, south London, on Tuesday afternoon, causing chaos in a number of shops and forcing local businesses to close early. Videos circulating on social media captured shocking scenes of groups of teenagers running rampant in the streets as police rushed to the scene and struggled to restore order.
Affected by the riots, the Marks & Spencer food store on Main Street was forced to close early for fear of being targeted again – just last weekend, the store had just suffered a similar "flash mob" riot, which resulted in two arrests. In addition, chain stores such as Waitrose, Sainsbury's and McDonald's have also closed. According to reports from the scene, some terrified families were even trapped inside a Sainsbury's supermarket and unable to escape as the mob took control of the main street.
Incredibly chaotic scene
The bewildered police officers were outnumbered by the large group of teenagers. Local traffic was brought to a standstill as rioters swarmed onto carriageways. The chaos was not limited to the business district, as multiple fires broke out in Clapham Common, forcing police officers to race against time to put them out while maintaining order.
Despite the police's desperate attempts to disperse the crowd, most of the rioters stayed put and refused to leave. London's Metropolitan Police later confirmed that two girls had been arrested on suspicion of assaulting emergency workers and taken to custody.
Comments on social media suggested the large gathering was no accident but a pre-arranged operation. Many participants referred to it as "Clapham Court House or simply 'Clapham Court'".
Strong police intervention
In response to this egregious act of disrupting social order, a police spokesperson told The Sun: "Police officers have arrived at the scene and have issued a strong dispersal order. This means that all gatherings in the area must leave immediately. At present, police officers will continue to stay in the area to provide support and respond to the concerns of local residents and businesses."
In fact, this is the second such incident in the area in a short period of time. Just last Saturday, there was an out-of-control scene on the streets of Clapham: more than 100 teenagers caused a riot in Marks and Spencer, causing great panic. During the chaos, a 15-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of theft and assault, and two 16-year-old girls were taken away by the police for violating the dispersal order.
Video from the scene showed more than 20 teenagers wearing hoodies or hats pushing each other in the frozen food aisle, while police tried to calm the situation through gentle evacuation. Videos of these riots went viral on the Internet, with many netizens directly denouncing them as the epitome of "lawless London." It is understood the group of teenage thugs also attempted to attack several other shops in the area.
