Riot
A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by some people committing public violence against government or other authority figures and property. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targeted varies depending on the riot and the inclinations of those involved. Targets can include shops, cars, restaurants, state-owned institutions, and religious buildings or other symbol of a targeted sector of the population. Although a riot may be produced by political grievances, government offices themselves are not often targeted due to their strong protection.
Food riots may occur due to food shortages caused by harvest failures, incompetent food storage, hoarding, poisoning of food, or attacks by pests like locusts. If members of the public become desperate from such conditions, they may attack shops, farms, homes, or government buildings to loot staple foods like bread, grain or salt. T. S. Ashton noted that the turbulence of colliers was an instinctive reaction of virility to hunger rather than politics. Charles Wilson recorded spasmodic rises in food prices provoked keelmen on the Tyne to riot in 1709. Tin miners plundered granaries at Falmouth in 1727. In the 1977 Egyptian Bread Riots, hundreds of thousands of people rioted after food subsidies stopped and prices rose.
A police riot is a term for the disproportionate and unlawful use of force by a group of police against a group of civilians. This term describes a police attack on civilians or provoking civilians into violence. A political riot develops out of a political protest or serves political purposes. A prison riot is a large-scale, temporary act of concerted defiance or disorder by a group of prisoners against prison administrators, prison officers, or other groups of prisoners. It often expresses a grievance, forces change, or attempts escape.
In a race riot, race or ethnicity is the key factor. The term entered the English language in the United States by the 1890s. Early use referred to mob actions by members of a majority racial group against people of other perceived races. In a religious riot, religion is the key factor. Historically, these riots involved groups arguing who possesses the primate of orthodoxy. The rioting mob targets people and properties of a specific religion, or those believed to belong to that religion.
Individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, but riots typically are conducted by disorganized gatherings of people. Mob actions are frequently chaotic and exhibit herd behavior. A body of evidence suggests that riots do not exhibit irrational, herd-like behavior sometimes called mob mentality. They actually follow inverted social norms. This challenges the traditional view that crowds simply lose their minds during civil unrest. The structure of participation shifts as more people join the event. The risk of being arrested goes down as the crowd grows larger. This dynamic persuades still more people to join the disturbance. High risk of arrest proves even more effective against rioting than severe punishments.
Riots are typically dealt with by the police, although methods differ from country to country. Tactics and weapons used can include attack dogs, water cannons, plastic bullets, rubber bullets, pepper spray, flexible baton rounds, and snatch squads. Many police forces have dedicated divisions to deal with public order situations. Some examples are the Territorial Support Group in London, Special Patrol Group in London, Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité in France, Mobiele Eenheid in the Netherlands, and Arrest units in Germany.
The policing of riots has been marred by incidents in which police have been accused of provoking rioting or crowd violence. While the weapons described above are officially designated as non-lethal, a number of people have died or been injured as a result of their use. For example, seventeen deaths were caused by rubber bullets in Northern Ireland over the thirty five years between 1970 and 2005. Police may use less-than-lethal methods of control such as shotguns that fire flexible baton rounds or rubber bullets to injure or otherwise incapacitate rioters. This allows them to break up a riot or allow easier arrest.
In India, rioting is an offense under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In Israel, the Israeli army issued rules of engagement for the use of plastic bullets which defined a violent riot as a disturbance with the participation of three or more persons. This included stone throwing, erection of a barrier or barricade, burning a tire.
Riot is a statutory offence in England and Wales created by section 1(1) of the Public Order Act 1986. A single person can be liable for an offence of riot when they use violence provided that it is shown there were at least twelve present using or threatening unlawful violence. The word violence is defined by section 8. The violence can be against the person or against property. Riot is an indictable-only offence. A person convicted of riot is liable to imprisonment for any term not exceeding ten years, or to a fine, or to both.
Under United States federal law, a riot is defined as a public disturbance involving acts of violence by one or more persons part of an assemblage of three or more persons. Each state may have its own definition of a riot. In New York, the term riot is not defined explicitly but under section 240.08 of the New York Penal Law, a person is guilty of inciting to riot when one urges ten or more persons to engage in tumultuous and violent conduct.
Common questions
What is the definition of a riot according to English law?
Riot is a statutory offence in England and Wales created by section 1(1) of the Public Order Act 1986. A single person can be liable for an offence of riot when they use violence provided that it is shown there were at least twelve present using or threatening unlawful violence.
When did food riots occur involving tin miners in Falmouth?
Tin miners plundered granaries at Falmouth in 1727. Food riots may occur due to food shortages caused by harvest failures, incompetent food storage, hoarding, poisoning of food, or attacks by pests like locusts.
How many people died during the 1992 Los Angeles riots?
During the 1992 Los Angeles riots, 63 people were killed and over 700 businesses burned. Property damage was estimated at over $1 billion and more than 12,000 people were arrested.
Why do police forces use weapons such as rubber bullets and water cannons against rioters?
Police may use less-than-lethal methods of control such as shotguns that fire flexible baton rounds or rubber bullets to injure or otherwise incapacitate rioters. This allows them to break up a riot or allow easier arrest.
What factors define a race riot versus a religious riot?
In a race riot, race or ethnicity is the key factor while the term entered the English language in the United States by the 1890s. In a religious riot, religion is the key factor and historically these involved groups arguing who possesses the primate of orthodoxy.