Confronting Youths

BBC NEWS | England | Dorset | MP beaten after confronting gang

An MP was beaten by a group of youths after he tried to stop them playing football in the street.

Um, is it really ever sensible to confront a "gang of youths"? Normally I would say he could have just phoned the police and not got involved, but this was for playing football in the street!? Hardly the crime of the century. I think this guy has more responsibility for staying alive and looking after his family than stopping kids kicking a ball in a street. Was he seriously going to go the police station and say "Look! I saw some kids playing football in the street! I've even got photographic evidence, STOP EVERYTHING!" I imagine the police would have laughed in his face.

So yeah, I don't like to have a go at him because it was a kind of brave thing to do, but as is so often the case with "bravery" it also turned out to be pretty fuckin stupid.