THE Archbishop of Canterbury sparked fresh controversy yesterday by suggesting yobs only join gangs to fend off “unfriendly adults”.
Youths swarm on street corners and in shopping malls so they “feel secure” from older people, claimed Dr Rowan Williams.
He said rather than trying to intimidate innocent people, the young mobs are simply trying to find their own “safe public space”.
The Church of England leader also attacked “indiscriminate, knee-jerk” bids to control rowdy young people by using Mosquito ultrasonic devices, which scare them away with a high-pitched whining sound. Read more
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Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Adults to blame for feral gangs says Archbishop
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The Express story gives an interpretation of the ABC which may be misleading. His article appears in the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/feb/26/children . In particular fend off is not his expression. His view seems to be that young people congregate ouside shops because they have nowhere else to go, The word gang is very emotive and covers anything from a group of friends to a violent sub-culture. I believe that ++Rowan's assessment of the majority of young people is fair. The small minority who indulge in anti-social behaviour make their presence felt. With the high price of property, it seems the only way a business can run entertaining slightly older people is to encourage heavy drinking, but i suppose these young people can nolonger be called children. The lack of proper facilities leaves young people with few choices.
David Hey
West Yorkshire
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