How the Cardiff riot was sparked by social media
From our UK edition
After a traumatic night which saw rioters torch cars, volley fireworks at police, and indulge in nine hours of mayhem, residents of the close-knit Ely, in Cardiff, are left to deal with the reality of what a rumour can do in the social media age. It started on Monday evening. A tragedy which would usually define such a night was only the beginning of the destruction which followed. On Ely’s Snowden Road, two teenage boys said to be riding an off-road bike or scooter, were killed in a crash. Such a harrowing event was the catalyst for what reporters on the ground described as a ‘war zone.’ As news of the crash filtered across social media, a reported 150 people later gathered at the scene of the crash.
