Page 13
Call Sign September 2011
On the evening of Sunday 7 August, I
Call Sign's Tom Quigley was hired by an international news
was hired by an International TV crew
channel's TV film crew to drive them around during the four days
with a request to take them as close to
of rioting. This is what happened...
Tottenham as possible (the scene of the
previous night's riot), then wait and
Call Sign at the
return them to their office.
On our way, this quickly changed to Enfield
as reports came in of disturbances there. As we
got closer to Enfield, there were sporadic gangs
Tottenham riots!
of young men and women running through the
streets causing carnage by breaking the win-
dows of shops and damaging cars etc. In the
town centre, police had set up a road block,
but strangely allowed pedestrians to go
through. The TV crew alighted whilst I parked
up as close as I could get to a row of police
vans assuming that to probably be the safest
place.
A short while later, the crew returned with
an instruction to get to the retail park on the
A10 as this was being raided. Using my local
knowledge, I managed to avoid roadblocks
and get into the centre - which was quite
shocking because if I could do that, then so
could anyone else! Parking outside Toy R Us,
the scene was one of mayhem with many
shops damaged and raided, whilst the youths
had dispersed just leaving TV crews and
police, who were then beginning to cordon
off the area. The rest of the night was similar
as we drove through Edmonton and
Rioting in Clarence Road, Hackney
Tottenham to Stoke Newington, sometimes
driving through mobs, burnt out vehicles and
party had set this up? They laughed and said
some of the most polite and courteous people
always police vehicles that, like us, seemed to
it was decided on a media website to wear
I have ever picked up and I would go as far
be chasing the tail of a mysterious dragon.
white, as most of Enfield locals supported
as to say probably ever worked with. They
The next night (Monday) was a far more
Spurs and the Arsenal fans would generally
were also very brave and went to the hearts of
sinister night. We covered the scenes at
have an England shirt or at least a T-shirt. The
all the areas. Watching playbacks, their reports
Clarence Road and the Pembury Estate in
idea being a visual for the police and locals to
were unbiased and fair. As for the whole situ-
Hackney. Here you could see and sense the
know they weren't there for looting etc.
ation, I could not believe it took so long to stir
air was even more violent and filled with
After reports of clashes between different
the apathy of our politicians to return from
hatred. There was a large police presence
groups in the Lewisham area on Wednesday,
holiday to answer and front the media and if
armed with riot shields and heavier equip-
we headed off to Catford and Eltham. It was
these events were in Kensington or Richmond,
ment, larger amount of youths - while mostly
at Eltham where we were met by a large
would they have taken so long? I was also
black, they were not exclusively so. I would
group of white youths running towards us, but
appalled and shocked by the behaviour of
say as someone brought up in the Clapton
this time being chased by a very different
some of the parents we saw with young chil-
area, it was a representative mixture of whole
police outfit - these were organised, heavily
dren at their side abusing the police. Then
of the area. Pavements were covered with
kitted out and very intimidating, made up of
there was the way groups were allowed to
onlookers, some families with children as
forces from Wales and Yorkshire. These guys
walk past police lines only to meet later and
young as 4 or 5 years old were watching this
knew what they were doing. I stood alone for
form large gangs. There was a total lack of
grotesque saga of events.
about an hour as the TV crew went looking
protection given to small shops and trades as
Our TV crew were then attacked and so we
for stories, watching the police isolate and
they watched their life's work being
fled to a quieter position returning at around 3am
segregate troublemakers. Like hyenas in
destroyed. I watched working class families
to film the now-quieter main streets. But the side
packs, the Police were cunning, effective and
crying on the street as their homes were burnt
streets were still full of mobs milling around.
big. Although certainly not passive, they
out by their own people - hell bent on wan-
Left on my own while parked up, I was
weren't outwardly aggressive or violent
ton destruction.
approached by three young black guys
towards the guys they caught.
As a Clapton lad, who has family from the
"informing" me that I had a puncture. I wasn't
After 4 days in the most violent spots in
Pembury Estate, it wasn't nice seeing your
going to fall for that old chestnut and I drove
London, my summary was that the TV crew
home town left to burn.
off only to find that I actually did have a punc-
members I worked with were by a long way
Tom Quigley (Y33)
ture! Sweating profusely, while laughing and
praying to myself about the predicament I was
Do you want to share a new TX4?
in, I parked next to a row of police vans and
changed the tyre in double quick time as I
Glen Roberton (E54) has appeared in Call Sign several times over the years advertising one
don't think my breakdown company would
or two berths left on the 50 foot sailing cruiser, Ascendon, that he shares with four friends.
have sent a truck out!
The last we heard it was the Greek islands, whereas this year's jaunt involves four weeks
With reports of vigilantes roaming the
cruising around Sardinia and Corsica.
streets on Tuesday, we headed back to Enfield
But it's a more land-based reason that Glen makes our pages this month he is
arriving in a town with no roadblocks. So we
looking for a partner in buying a new TX4 Elegance at the end of September, so if
drove to the town centre where there were
you are interested in jointly buying a new cab as a partner or perhaps you fancy just
large groups of young men all wearing white
driving a new cab as a nightman, then give Glen a call by phoning or texting him on
tops, this time they were mostly white-skinned
07850 722 207.
but with a few black and Asian kids too. The
Glen lives in Chadwell Heath and starts early in the morning. The cab will be fitted
TV crew set off filming while I spoke to a
on Dial-a-Cab...
small gang about reports that a racist political
