Either this reporter is deliberately trying to twist Darcus Howe's words or she suffers from a nasty bout of sporadic deafness.
After the presenter betrays her ignorance by introducing a "Marcus Dowe" to the programme, the interviewee says that he is not shocked at the scenes of unrest in London given the social conditions which predicated the trouble. She asks: "Does that mean you condone what happened in your community last night?"
"Of course not!" he retorts. Howe brings up the fact that police "blew Mark Duggan's head off", which she attempts to pour water on by saying "we don't know what happened to Mr. Duggan. We are going to wait for the police report" - even though the police weren't disputing the contention that it was one of their officers who fired the fatal shot.
As Howe brings up the fact that black youths are disproportionately stopped and searched by police, the interviewer interrupts him, saying "that is not an excuse to go out rioting and cause (sic) the sort of damage that we have been seeing over the last few days".
Throughout the confrontation, the presenter's tone of voice indicates that she sees Darcus Howe as something of a petulent child whose presence on the broadcast becomes increasingly intolerable as he refuses to trot out the talking points which have come to frame the narrative on the BBC.
The channel glosses over the social disenfranchisement and hopelessness which pervade in many parts of the country, repeatedly reminding viewers that it is "no excuse" for looting and accusing anyone bringing up the issue of endorsing acts of criminal damage and theft.
Realising that Howe is discussing information which undermines the official version of events - that what has been witnessed over the past few days can be dismissed as inexplicable, mindless rioting which has nothing whatsoever to do with the economic abyss Britain's poorest find themselves staring into - the presenter goes for the jugular, interrupting the subject to accuse him of "being no stranger to riots" and of "having taken part in them yourself". He denies this categorically.
Evidently jarred by her constant sniping and insinuation, Howe implores the presenter to "have some respect for an old West Indian Negro and stop accusing me of being a rioter". At this point the interview is abruptly terminated.
Another analysis of this segment from Joe Glenton and Jo Gough can be seen here: Darcus Howe's timely insurrection.
