Time For Our Community To Learn Lessons

[cool water]

The many lessons we can drawn from the recent disturbances in the UK is that we need to:

• Be more united
• Have contact numbers with Singhs so that we can draw numbers if anti-sikh incidents occur
• Learn the art of unarmed and armed (with everyday objects) quick street fighting (forget about gatka)
• Hold our gurdwara committee's to account if they do not provide security for Gurdwara's and events
• Lobby our politicans for greater rights for Sikhs and/or responsible citizens to be armed in times of riots to provide protection for their communities for civil defence

[pedrorizzo]

Agreed with the above. Except for the statement forget about gatka. If anything we should have more gatka classes and more youngsters learning it. After all modern violence/civil unrest is likely to be conducted via metal bars, hockey sticks, baseball bats, swords and bricks rather than bare hands... so actually gatka is probably one of the most useful resources that we have as a community and we should use it and nuture it. We have a ready made system and class structure in place, rather than looking elsewhere.

Agreed though, that it should be supplemented with other empty hand martial arts/self protection systems as well. I have heard that the Sikh Council is going to launch a nation wide self protection programe/krav maga to teach sikh youth who are interested self defence.

[pedrorizzo]

Also, given that in most riots, 90% of the battle involves people just throwing bricks and stones at each other, I think we have forgotten the best riot weapon of them all...wait for it.... the catapult/slingshot !!

Ten Singhs with slingshots/catapults and a bag full of marbles could defeat a crowd of 200 looters easily. You can pick up a catapult for a tenner lol.

[cool water]

Your right the the sling shot is an effective weapon for distant combat. I did notice how the yobs were using bricks to clear the path to attack the police and loot shops.

[cool water]

If anyone has any intelligence about criminal street gangs and messages they get on Facebook, BBM messages keep them as evidence and paste em on Sikh forums so we can deal with the threats before they happen.

This is how Singhs held it down in southall. Pitty some of our brothers had their swords taken off them by police, but this issue we will have to raise to police because we will not let our communities get attacked and not be armed while the street criminals are allowed to be armed. Better to be safe than sorry ....so politically we need to get changes made by heavy politically pressure theres 800,000 of us in the UK if we all do our part we can get things done.

[VanHelsingh]

To be fair, a kirpan as part of the Panj Kakaar is our right and should not be an issue. But a 4-ft talwaar being waved around is asking for trouble. No-one else has the right to walk around with unsheathed stabbing weapons and we'd be asking for trouble if we started complaining about having our swords taken away.

Don't get me wrong, I think we should be able to defend ourselves but some common sense would not go amiss.

[cool water]

In America they have the right to carry guns to defend their properties, it is a big deterance. I wouldnt go that for to call for us to be armed with guns, but swords at least or armed with metal baseball bats should be allowed for civil defence of communities. Evidently the police couldnt protect all area's and left places of worship vunerable many a time. They cant sustain resources on the streets day in day out. We need have powers to defend ourselves and not rely on the useless state to protect our communities from street thugs.

[esingh]

Good ideas but like someone has already mentioned Gatka is important as a weapon art. Most of the hoodlums were all armed and henceforth weapons training is vital. Shield are a good idea as well i.e. storing them.

[West London Singh]

I don't think we have any lessons to learn. I honestly feel this has been a near perfect display by the Sikhs of the UK. Honestly, hand on my heart, I haven't felt this proud to be a Sikh in a long time.