After images of four nights of rioting and looting in British cities were flashed across the globe, business leaders and politicians have begun to assess the damage to London’s reputation.
With less than a year to go until the UK capital hosts the 2012 Olympics, London had been expecting international attention for quite different reasons.
News organisations around the globe carried extensive coverage of the chaos on the streets of London and other UK cities. In China, for example, which is proud of its smooth staging of the 2008 Olympic Games, one report on the state-run Xinhua news agency said: “After the riots, the image of London has been severely damaged, leaving the people sceptical and worried about the public security situation during the London Olympics.”