Rioting spreads in London and beyond

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LONDON, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Rioting spread Monday to a growing number of neighborhoods in London and to cities beyond in the third night of violence brought on by a police shooting.

The riots erupted Saturday in the North London neighborhood of Tottenham and nearby areas. On Monday, hundreds of young people took to the streets in Croydon, on the capital's southern edge, and in other south London districts, including Battersea and Lewisham, The Guardian reported.

Similar violence was reported in Birmingham and Liverpool.

A fire set by rioters destroyed Reeves, a century-old family-run furniture store in Croydon, The Guardian said. In Battersea, local gangs allegedly declared a night of truce as they attacked stores.

In Birmingham, police cordoned off the Bullring, the city's central shopping and business district. But police said stores were damaged and passersby were beaten elsewhere.

Mike Golden, manager of a store that was broken into, said he had been on vacation and did not know what was going on. Monday night, he got a call from the alarm company.

"They are using what happened in London as an excuse for this behavior," he said.

In Liverpool, police reported "isolated outbreaks of disorder," including cars set on fire.

Enfield, the most northerly London borough and 6 miles north of Tottenham, was one of at least four London neighborhoods targeted Sunday night, police and witnesses said.

Resident Mizu Rahman told The Guardian he had seen a message on Facebook that Enfield would be "next on the hit list."

Conservative Member of Parliament Nick de Bois, whose district includes Enfield, said the disorder was fomented by social-media Web sites.

"There seems to have been a very well-organized campaign over social media to try to engineer trouble here in Enfield. It has almost become a self-fulfilling prophecy," he told LBC Radio.

Saturday night's Tottenham violence started as a small, peaceful march outside a police station to protest the killing of a local man, Mark Duggan, in a police shooting the week before.