riot

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noun

1. A quarrel, fight, or disturbance marked by very noisy, disorderly, and often violent behavior: affray, brawl, broil², donnybrook, fray, free-for-all, melee, row², ruction, tumult. Informal fracas. Slang rumble. See attack/defend.
2. Something or someone uproariously funny or absurd: absurdity. Informal hoot, joke, laugh, scream. Slang gas, howl, panic. Idioms: a laugh a minute. See laughter.

verb

To behave riotously: carouse, frolic, revel, roister. Informal hell (around). Idioms: blow off steam, cut loose, kick over the traces, kick up one's heels, let go, let loose, make merry, make whoopee, paint the town red, raiseCainthe devilhell, whoop it up. See restraint/unrestraint.

phrasal verb - riot away

To spend (money) excessively and usually foolishly: consume, dissipate, fool away, fritter away, squander, throw away, trifle away, waste. Slang blow¹. See save/waste.

Definition: uprising, disorder
Antonyms: calm, peace

n

Definition: very funny happening
Antonyms: seriousness, solemnity

v

Definition: protest; cause an uproar
Antonyms: comply, cooperate, make peace

Though they usually involve spontaneous, wanton violence or disorder by an anonymous crowd, riots have also served as a noteworthy form of social protest in American history. While the American Revolution made popular revolt a "quasi-legitimate" aspect of American culture, the ideals of democracy privilege debate and representation over mob rule. Nevertheless, Americans have frequently brought disorder to the nation's streets to express opinions and demands. Crowds have sought to limit the rights of others as often as they have demanded equal rights. Riots are not by definition part of organized rebellions, but they sometimes occur when public demonstrations turn to physical violence.

In the eighteenth century the American British colonies were frequently places of riot and protest against the British government. The Boston Massacre in 1770 is perhaps the most famous of the prerevolutionary civil disturbances. A riot erupted when a sailor named Crispus Attucks and a group of Boston artisans and sailors provoked British soldiers who they felt were taking the jobs of local workers. The uprising ended with British soldiers firing into a crowd of colonials, an incident that galvanized many against Britain's forceful rule over the colonies.

Once the United States became a sovereign country, it was forced to contend with riots directed against its own state and its citizens. The 1820s and 1830s were perhaps the most riot-filled decades of American history. Ethnic groups, mostly African and Irish Americans, became targets for others who sought to protect their jobs and social lives from incursions of immigrant and "non-white" Americans, as in the 1838 antiabolitionist riots in Philadelphia.

In July 1863 white and mostly poor workers throughout the country led demonstrations against the mandatory drafting of soldiers for the Civil War. Though the ability of the rich to buy soldier replacements was a major impetus for revolt, many demonstrators were protesting being forced to fight for the freedom of black slaves. Most dramatically, the demonstrations led to assaults on Republican Party representatives and African Americans in New York City. Five days of violence destroyed hundreds of homes and churches and led to the deaths of 105 people. The civil disturbance ended only when soldiers just returning from the battlefields of Gettysburg could muster the power to retake the city from the mob.

Intra-ethnic group conflict sometimes led to rioting as well, and in 1871, Irish Catholics and Protestants clashed over a religious conflict in New York City. That riot resulted in more than sixty deaths and over a hundred injuries when national guardsmen opened fire on the crowd. The battle among Irish Americans helped to stoke nativism in the city and throughout the nation.

Riots can also occur without a specific reason or disagreement. In 1919 Boston became enflamed when people used a policemen's strike as an opportunity for extensive criminal activity, such as robbery, stoning striking policemen, and other kinds of assaults. Highlighting the city's deep divisions, middle-and upper-class Bostonians formed vigilante posses to battle the rioters. The three-day period of chaos ended with eight deaths and dozens of injuries, many of which resulted from state guardsmen shooting into crowds of civilians. General public opinion was against the riots, and the court dealt harshly with the few rioters who were caught.

Though the end of World War I and the summer immediately following it saw racially motivated riots in East St. Louis and Chicago, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., and 1943 saw terrible bloodshed in Harlem and Detroit, the 1960s was the decade with the most widespread and pervasive race riots. Cities all over the country exploded with conflict between white and black citizens, from Harlem (1964) to Watts (1965), to Chicago and Cleveland (1966), to Newark and Detroit (1967), and finally to Washington, D.C. (1968). Unlike the earlier period of race riots, those in the 1960s involved mostly African Americans as white people fled the inner cities. Responding to the rhetoric of the Black Power Movement, desperation from the waning Civil Rights Movement, economic deprivation, and, most importantly, the racism of whites in their cities, African Americans rose up to assert their rights as citizens and humans. The American Indian Movement had similar motivation in 1969 for its protests, most notably at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. In late June and early July of the same year, gay and lesbian protesters in New York City responded to homophobic raids by police with a riot at the Stonewall, a bar in Greenwich Village. Though many disowned the violence and chaos of the Stonewall Riots, the incident helped to insert gay rights into the national political agenda.

Major politically motivated riots also occurred, most notably those that protested the war in Vietnam. In the summer of 1968 civil rights and antiwar protesters joined in a march outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. One reason the civil rights and antiwar movements in the 1960s emphasized nonviolence was to make it more difficult for officials to declare a march or a demonstration a riot. In Chicago, however, city and party officials viewed the march as a potential riot, and Mayor Richard J. Daleysent busloads of police. Protesters and sympathizers described what happened as a police riot, claiming the protest was peaceful and nonviolent until police attacked demonstrators without provocation.

The most deadly prison riot in United States history occurred in 1971 at the state prison at Attica, New York. Like many prisons in the early 1970s, Attica became a riot scene as prisoners protested their treatment at the facility. The state militia used force to retake the prison, leaving in the end thirty-two inmates and eleven guards dead. All but four of the dead were killed by the militia.

Riots in the late twentieth century seemed especially senseless, partially because television coverage allowed many to view the chaos as it was happening. When Los Angeles went up in flames in April 1992, the riot was ostensibly caused by the acquittal of the white police officers accused of beating an African American, Rodney King, a year earlier. After five days of violence following the verdict, 54 people were dead, more than 2,000 others were injured, and property losses had reached approximately$900 million. Black-white racism seemed to lie at the heart of the controversy. However, Hispanic Americans were the largest group of rioters, and Korean-owned businesses were the most common target of vandals and looters. Many have asserted that these rioters were responding to economic, political, and social deprivation similar to that which led to the rioting in the 1960s. In the years following the riots, the Los Angeles Police Department underwent a massive review and changed many of its procedures regarding both arrests and riot control.

Looting became a common part of modern riots, as evidenced in Los Angeles and by the outbreak of mob violence at the World Trade Organization (WTO) protests in Seattle, Washington, in November and December 1999. Though peaceful demonstrators were on hand for the annual WTO meeting to protest numerous issues—from environmentalism to animal rights—a fringe group of youth activists espousing anarchism smashed storefront windows and spray-painted graffiti in the downtown area. A new element of protest was introduced in the Seattle riots when the Internet was used to call thousands to the city and spread the anarchistic gospel of the rioters. And as in the case of Los Angeles, millions throughout the world were able to watch the riots as they were happening, amplifying their affect on policy as well as the number of people offended by the violence. Random civil disorder has had a long but uneasy relationship with political, economic, and social protest in the nation's history, but it is certainly a relationship that continues to be a part of the functioning American republic.

Bibliography

Gale, Dennis E. Understanding Urban Unrest: From Reverend King to Rodney King. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 1996.

Gilje, Paul A. Rioting in America. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996.

Smith, Kimberly K. The Dominion of Voice: Riots, Reason, and Romance in Antebellum Politics. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1999.

Tager, Jack. Boston Riots: Three Centuries of Social Violence. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2001.

A disturbance of the peace by several persons, assembled and acting with a common intent in executing a lawful or unlawful enterprise in a violent and turbulent manner.

Riot, rout, and unlawful assembly are related offenses, yet they are separate and distinct. A rout differs from a riot in that the persons involved do not actually execute their purpose but merely move toward it. The degree of execution that converts a rout into a riot is often difficult to determine.

An unlawful assembly transpires when persons convene for a purpose that, if executed, would make them rioters, but who separate without performing any act in furtherance of their purpose. For example, when a restaurant owner refused to serve a certain four customers and barred them from entering the establishment, the four men remained in front of the doors of the restaurant and blocked the entrance to all other customers. Although a riot did not result from their actions, the men were arrested and convicted of unlawful assembly.

Inciting to riot is another distinct crime, the gist of which is that it instigates a breach of the peace, even though the parties might have initially assembled for an innocent purpose. It means using language, signs, or conduct to lead or cause others to engage in conduct that, if completed, becomes a riot.

Conspiracy to riot is also a separate offense. In one case, the leader of a small Marxist group took to the streets preaching revolution and organized resistance to lawful authority. Cursing the police, he spoke about how to fight and kill them and generally advocated violent means to gain political ends. The court ruled that a person who agrees with others to organize a future riot and who commits an overt act in conformity with the agreement is guilty, not of riot, but of conspiracy to riot.

In legal usage, the term mob is practically synonymous with riot or with riotous assembly. A federal court held that night riders were a mob and that their act of burning a building constituted the crime of riot.

Nature and Elements

Riot is an offense against the public peace and good order, rather than a violation of the rights of any particular person. It is not commonly applied to brief disturbances, even if malicious mischief and violence are involved in the commotion. For example, a lock company was picketed in a labor dispute. When the police attempted to escort some people through the picket line, a brief general commotion, some scuffling, and an exchange of blows took place. The police testified that the entire fracas lasted about "two or three minutes." The court held that the crime of riot does not apply to brief disturbances, even those involving violence, nor to disturbances that occur during the picketing accompanying a labor dispute.

The elements that comprise the offense are determined either by the common law or by the statute defining it. In some jurisdictions, the necessary elements are an unlawful assembly, the intent to provide mutual assistance against lawful authority, and acts of violence. Under some statutes, the elements are the use of force or violence, or threats to use force and violence, along with the immediate power of execution.

Other statutes provide that the essential elements are an assembly of persons for any unlawful purpose; the use of force or violence against persons or property; an attempt or threat to use force or violence or to do any unlawful act, coupled with the power of immediate execution; and a resulting disturbance of the peace.

Force or Violence

The element of force or violence required under the common law means a defiance of lawful authority and the rights of other persons. Similarly the force or violence contemplated by the statutes is the united force of the participants acting in concert with the increased capacity to overcome resistance. The statutes further specify that the type of force and violence, not mere physical exertion, must threaten law-abiding nonparticipants.

Order to Disperse

Under some statutes, the crime of riot is committed, even though no order to disperse has been given. The statutory offense of remaining at a place of riot cannot occur, however, until a command to disperse has been given.

Unlawful Conduct

Riots can arise from any violent and turbulent activity of a group, such as bands of people creating an uproar and displaying weapons; wildly marching on a public street; violently disrupting a public meeting; threatening bystanders with displays of force; or forcibly destroying property along the way. In one case, striking orange pickers armed with clubs, metal cables, sticks, and other weapons rushed into an orange grove and assaulted nonstriking pickers. After the nonstrikers were driven out of the grove, the strikers overturned the boxes full of picked oranges and threw oranges and boxes at the nonstrikers. The court held this to be riotous conduct. When one city was wracked by racial disturbances, the court ruled that racial disorders constituted a general "riot," or a series of "riots," and that whether there was a single, identifiable group or a number of riotous groups was not significant when their one common purpose was to injure and destroy.

Number of Persons Necessary

The common law rule, and most of the statutes that define riot, require three or more persons to be involved. Some statutes fix the minimum number at two.

Purpose of Original Assembly

The jurisdictions differ on whether the original assembly must be an unlawful one. Some require premeditation by the rioters, but others prescribe that riots can arise from assemblies that were originally lawful or as a result of groups of persons who had inadvertently assembled.

Common Intent

A previous agreement or conspiracy to riot is not usually an element of a riot. A common intent, however, to engage in an act of violence, combined with a concert of action, is sometimes necessary. In one case, following a high school football game, a group of boys staged a "violent, brutal and indecent" assault on the color guard and band members of the visiting team. When the visitors attempted to leave, the attacks continued. On trial, the attackers claimed that the charge of riot did not apply to them because they had had no "common intent." The court held that "an intent is a mental state which can be inferred from conduct." They were found guilty of riot and the decision was affirmed on appeal.

Terror

When a riot arises from an unlawful act, such as an assault, terror need not be shown because in every riotous situation there are elements of force and violence that are by their very nature terrifying. When a riot arises from lawful conduct, terror must be shown. For example, if a group of neighbors decides to remove a nuisance, such as a pile of malodorous garbage, which would be a lawful activity, but does so in a violent and tumultuous manner, terror would have to be shown before the conduct would constitute a riot. Only one person need be alarmed to fulfill the terror requirement.

Persons Liable

Principal rioters are those who are present and actively participate in the riot. All persons present who are not actually assisting in the suppression of the riot can be regarded as participants when their presence is intentional and tends to encourage the rioters.

Municipal Liability

In the absence of a statute, a municipal corporation, such as a city, town, or village, is not liable for injuries caused by mobs or riotous assemblages. Where statutes do impose liability, the particular statute determines the type of action one can institute against a city, town, or village.

Defenses

There is never any justification for a riot. The only defense that can be claimed is that an element of the offense is absent. Participation is an essential element. Establishing that an accused's presence at the scene of a riot was accidental can remove any presumption of guilt arising from his or her presence at a riotous assemblage.

Suppression of Riot

Private persons can, on their own authority, lawfully try to suppress a riot, and courts have ruled that they can arm themselves for such a purpose if they comply with appropriate statutory provisions concerning the possession of firearms or other weapons. Execution of this objective will be supported and justified by law. Generally every citizen capable of bearing arms must help to suppress a riot if called upon to do so by an authorized peace officer.

The state is primarily responsible for protecting lives and property from the unlawful violence of mobs. If the militia reports to civil authorities to help quash a riot, it has the same powers as civil officers and must render only such assistance as is required by civil authorities.

In an emergency, and in the absence of constitutional restrictions, a governor can order the intervention of the militia to suppress a riot without complying with statutory formalities. When troops are ordered to quell a riot, they are not subject to local authorities but are in the service of the state.

n.

A popular entertainment given to the military by innocent bystanders.

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Quotes:

"With society and its public, there is no longer any other language than that of bombs, barricades, and all that follows." - Antonin Artaud

"No nation, no matter how enlightened, can endure criminal violence. If we cannot control it, we are admitting to the world and to ourselves that our laws are no more than a facade that crumbles when the winds of crisis rise." - Alan Biole

"Some punishment seems preparing for a people who are ungratefully abusing the best constitution and the best King any nation was ever blessed with, intent on nothing but luxury, licentiousness, power, places, pensions, and plunder; while the ministry, divided in their counsels, with little regard for each other, worried by perpetual oppositions, in continual apprehension of changes, intent on securing popularity in case they should lose favor, have for some years past had little time or inclination to attend to our small affairs, whose remoteness makes them appear even smaller." - Benjamin Franklin

"The poor suffer twice at the rioter's hands. First, his destructive fury scars their neighborhood; second, the atmosphere of accommodation and consent is changed to one of hostility and resentment." - Lyndon B. Johnson

"A rioter with a Molotov cocktail in his hands is not fighting for civil rights any more than a Klansman with a sheet on his back and a mask on his face." - Lyndon B. Johnson

"The Los Angeles riots were not caused by the Rodney King verdict. The Los Angeles riots were caused by rioters." - Rush Limbaugh

See more famous quotes about Riots

• Cultural Movements, Events, and Institutions - riot: violent, large-scale public disturbance, often for purposes of protest
• Hunting Practice and Techniques - riot: (vb) pursue animal other than intended quarry
• Violent Events - riot: violent disruption of public order or peace; uproar
• Violent Actions - riot: disturb the peace or public order

This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (November 2011)

This article is about a type of event. For other meanings of riot, see Riot (disambiguation).

Teamsters, armed with pipes, riot in a clash with riot police in the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934.

Rioters typically wear face masks, scarves, and other headgear not only to conceal their identity, but also to filter tear gas.

A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and exhibit herd behaviour, and usually generated by civil unrest. However, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that riots are not irrational, herd-like behaviour, but follow inverted social norms.^[1]

Riots often occur in reaction to a perceived grievance or out of dissent. Historically, riots have occurred due to poor working or living conditions, government, oppression, taxation or conscription, conflicts between ethnic groups, food supply or religions (see race riot, sectarian violence and pogrom), the outcome of a sporting event (see football hooliganism) or frustration with legal channels through which to air grievances.

Riots typically involve vandalism and the destruction of private and public property. The specific property to be targeted varies depending on the riot and the inclinations of those involved. Targets can include shops, cars, restaurants, state-owned institutions, and religious buildings.

Some rioters have become quite sophisticated at understanding and withstanding the tactics used by police in such situations. Manuals for successful rioting are available on the internet. These manuals also encourage rioters to get the press involved, as there is more safety with the cameras rolling. There is also more attention. Citizens with video cameras may also have an effect on both rioters and police.

Dealing with riots is an often difficult task for police departments. Police may also use tear gas and CS gas to stop rioters. In some countries riot police have moved to using less-than-lethal methods to control riots, such as shotguns that fire flexible baton rounds to injure or otherwise incapacitate rioters for easy arrest.

Contents 1 Effects of riots 2 Types of riots 3 Riot history 4 Police response 5 Deterrents 6 National laws against riots 6.1 India 6.2 United Kingdom 6.2.1 England and Wales 6.2.2 Scotland 6.3 United States 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links

Effects of riots

The effects of riots in terms of economic and political consequences are as complex as the socioeconomic origins of such events. Widespread property destruction and harm to individuals are often immediately measurable effects. During the 1992 Los Angeles riots^[2] 2,383 people were injured, 8,000 were arrested, 51 were killed and over 700 businesses burned. Property damage was estimated at over 1 billion dollars. Of the 51 killed^[3], at least ten of them were shot by police or National Guard forces.

Similarly the 2005 civil unrest in France^[4] lasted over three weeks and spread to nearly 300 towns. By the end of the incident, over 10,000 vehicles were destroyed and over 300 buildings burned.^[5] Over 2,800 suspected rioters were arrested and 126 police and firefighters were injured.^[6] Damages were estimated at being well over €200 Million.

Types of riots

See also: Hooliganism

A police riot is a term for the disproportionate and unlawful use of force by a group of police against a group of civilians, commonly where police attack a group of peaceful civilians and/or provoke previously peaceful civilians into violence.

A prison riot is a type of large scale, temporary act of concerted defiance or disorder by a group of prisoners against the prison administrators, prison officers, or other groups of prisoners, often to express a grievance, in an attempt to force change or an attempt to escape the prison.

In a race riot race or ethnicity is the key factor. The term had entered the English language in the United States by the 1890s. Early use of the term in the United States referred to race riots which were often a mob action by members of a majority racial group against people of other perceived races.

In a religious riot the key factor is religion.^[7] The rioting mob targets people and properties of a specific religion, or those believed to belong to that religion.

Student riots are riots precipitated by students, often in higher education, such as a college/university. Student riots in the US and Western Europe in the 1960s and the 1970s were often political in nature, although student riots can occur as a result of peaceful demonstration oppressed by the authorities and after sporting events (see hooliganism). Students may constitute an active political force in a given country, and student riots may occur in the context of wider political or social grievances.

Urban riots are riots in the context of urban decay, provoked by conditions such as discrimination, poverty, high unemployment, poor schools, poor healthcare, housing inadequacy and police brutality and bias. Urban riots are closely associated with race riots and police riots. In India, for instance, caste riots have tended to be limited to rural theatres while religious riots centred around urban agglomerations.

Sports riots can be sparked by the losing or winning of a specific team, such as the Nika riots. Fans of the two teams may also fight. Five main reasons for sports riots are teams contending for a championship, a long series of matches, a gathering place for many fans, the presence of young men, and scores that are close. Sports are the most common cause of riots in the United States, accompanying more than half of all championship games or series; almost all occur in the winning team's city.^[8] In North America, they are generally seen in two sports, hockey and association football. Players rarely join in such riots, which usually occur in and around the playing field (in association football) or in the streets or stands (in hockey).

Food and bread riots are caused by harvest failures, incompetent food storage, hoarding, poisoning of food, or attacks by pests like locusts. When the public becomes too desperate in such conditions, they attack shops, farms, homes, or government buildings to obtain bread or other staple foods like grain or salt, as in the 1977 Egyptian Bread Riots.

Many governments and political systems have fallen after riots, including:

• Tsarist Russia,
• The Confederate States of America (see the Southern Bread Riots for an example),
• Ancien Régime,
• British rule in India (bread and salt riots hastened the withdrawal in 1947).
• Governments across the Middle East and North Africa during the Arab Spring.

Riot history

Further information: List of riots

This section requires expansion.

Police response

Main article: Riot control

Law enforcement teams wear body armor and shields, and may use tear gas

Riots are typically dealt with by the police (riot control), 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, such as the London Metropolitan Police Service, have dedicated divisions to deal with public order situations (see Territorial Support Group, Special Patrol Group, Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité, Mobiele Eenheid, Arrest Units).

The policing of riots has been marred by incidents in which police have been accused of instigating or provoking rioting or crowd violence (see Police riot); also, 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.^[9]

Deterrents

A high risk of being arrested is even more effective against rioting than severe punishments.^{[10][dubious – discuss]}

As more and more people join the riot, the risk of being arrested goes down, which persuades still more people to join. This leads to a vicious circle, which is typically ended only by sufficient police or military presence to bring up the risk of being arrested. ^[10]

National laws against riots

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (December 2010)

India

In India, rioting is an offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

United Kingdom

England and Wales

Riot is a statutory offence in England and Wales. It is created by section 1(1) of the Public Order Act 1986. Sections 1(1) to (5) of that Act read:

(1) Where 12 or more persons who are present together use or threaten unlawful violence for a common purpose and the conduct of them (taken together) is such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety, each of the persons using unlawful violence for the common purpose is guilty of riot.

(2) It is immaterial whether or not the 12 or more use or threaten unlawful violence simultaneously.

(3) The common purpose may be inferred from conduct.

(4) No person of reasonable firmness need actually be, or be likely to be, present at the scene.

(5) Riot may be committed in private as well as in public places.

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.

"Violence"

This word is defined by section 8. The violence can be against the person or against property.

Mens rea

The mens rea is defined by section 6(1).

Restriction on institution of proceedings

See section 7(1)

Indictment

See R v Tyler and others, 96 Cr App R 332, [1993] Crim LR 60, CA.

Mode of trial and sentence

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.^[11]

See the following cases:

• R v Luttman [1973] Crim LR 127, CA
• R v Pilgrim, 5 Cr App R (S) 140, CA
• R v Keys, 84 Cr App R 204, 8 Cr App R (S) 444, [1987] Crim LR 207, CA
• R v Cooke, 9 Cr App R (S) 116, CA

Association football matches

In the case of riot connected to football hooliganism, the offender may be banned from football grounds for a set or indeterminate period of time and may be required to surrender their passport to the police for a period of time in the event of a club or international match, or international tournament, connected with the offence. This prevents travelling to the match or tournament in question. (The measures were brought in by the Football (Disorder) Act 2000 after rioting of England fans at Euro 2000.^[12])

Compensation for riot damage

See the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 and section 235 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995..

Interpretation

See section 10 of the Public Order Act 1986 for the construction of "riot" and cognate expressions in other instruments.

Common law offence

The common law offence of riot was abolished^[13] for England and Wales^[14] on 1 April 1987.^[15]

History

In the past, the Riot Act had to be read by an official - with the wording exactly correct - before violent policing action could take place. If the group did not disperse after the Act was read, lethal force could legally be used against the crowd. See also the Black Act.

Section 515 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 formerly made provision for compensation for riot damage.

Scotland

There is an offence under the law of Scotland which is known both as "mobbing" and "mobbing and rioting".

United States

Under United States federal law, a riot is defined as:

A public disturbance involving (1) an act or acts of violence by one or more persons part of an assemblage of three or more persons, which act or acts shall constitute a clear and present danger of, or shall result in, damage or injury to the property of any other person or to the person of any other individual or (2) a threat or threats of the commission of an act or acts of violence by one or more persons part of an assemblage of three or more persons having, individually or collectively, the ability of immediate execution of such threat or threats, where the performance of the threatened act or acts of violence would constitute a clear and present danger of, or would result in, damage or injury to the property of any other person or to the person of any other individual.18 U.S.C. § 2102.

As every state in the United States has its own laws (subject to the Supremacy Clause), each has its own definition of a riot. In New York State, for example, the term riot is not defined explicitly, but under § 240.08 of the N.Y. Penal Law due to the fact there was much fighting in the streets, "A person is guilty of inciting to riot when one urges ten or more persons to engage in tumultuous and violent conduct of a kind likely to create public alarm."

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Riots

• Riot Acts
• Civil disorder
• Secession
• Collective Effervescence
• Demonstration
• Internal security
• List of riots
• Protest
• Pogrom
• Police
• Riot gun
• Rebellion
• Revolution
• Class conflict
• Poll Tax Riots
• Urban riots
• 2007–2008 world food price crisis
• Southern Bread Riots
• Boston Bread Riot
• Flour Riot of 1837
• 1977 Egyptian Bread Riots
• Lynching
• 1992 Los Angeles Riots

References

1. ^ You won't prevent future riots by disregarding the psychology of crowds, The Guardian, Aug 19, 2011
2. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots
3. ^ http://www.laweekly.com/2002-05-02/news/the-l-a-53/
4. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_civil_unrest_in_France
5. ^ http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89meutes_de_2005_dans_les_banlieues_fran%C3%A7aises#D.C3.A9but_des_.C3.A9meutes
6. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_civil_unrest_in_France#Assessment_of_rioting
7. ^ "Thrown pig leads to religious riots in India". CNN. July 3, 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/03/india.pig.religious.riot/index.html. Retrieved May 22, 2010. 
8. ^ Ballard, Steve (2011-12-26). "The Kiss". Sports Illustrated. http://cnnsi.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?urlID=467201362&action=cpt&partnerID=289881. Retrieved December 24, 2011. 
9. ^ Williams, Anthony G. "Less-lethal ammunition". http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/baton.htm. "an amended version of an article which first appeared in Jane's Police Products Review, October/November 2007, and includes information from British 37mm Baton Rounds, which appeared in Small Arms Review in August 2008"
10. ^ ^{a b} How Riots Start, and How They Can Be Stopped: Edward Glaeser, Edward Glaeser, Bloomberg.com, Aug 12, 2011
11. ^ The Public Order Act 1986, section 1(6)
12. ^ http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/25/notes/contents
13. ^ The Public Order Act 1986, section 9(1)
14. ^ The Public Order Act 1986, section 42
15. ^ The Public Order Act 1986 (Commencement No. 2) Order 1987, article 2 and Schedule (1987/198 (C. 4))

• Blackstones Police Manual Volume 4 General police duties, Fraser Simpson (2006). pp. 245. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-928522-5

Further reading

• Applegate, Col. Rex (1992). Riot Control: Materiel and Techniques. Paladin Press. ISBN 978-0-87364-208-8. 
• Beene, Capt. Charles (2006). Riot Prevention and Control: A Police Officer's Guide to Managing Violent and Nonviolent Crowds. Paladin Press. ISBN 1-58160-518-8. 
• Bessel, Richard Emsley, Clive (2000). Patterns of Provocation: Police and Public Disorder. Berghahn Books. ISBN 1-57181-228-8. 
• Bloome, Clive (2003). Violent London: 2000 Years of Riots, Rebels and Revolts. London: Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/10283073101|10283073101]]. 
• Hernon, Ian (2006). Riot!: Civil Insurrection from Peterloo to the Present Day. Pluto Press. ISBN 0-7453-2538-6. 
• Waddington, P. A. J. (1991). The Strong Arm of the Law: Armed and Public Order Policing. Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-827359-2. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Riots

• Revolution '67 Documentary about the Newark, New Jersey race riots of 1967
• Anthropologie du présent (in French)

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - optøjer, uroligheder, ståhej, vrimmel
v. intr. - lave optøjer, larme, feste
v. tr. - smide penge væk pga. ekstravagant livsstil

idioms:

• a riot of    en vrimmel af, en overflod af
• read the riot act    opfordre til at spredes
• riot police    uropatrulje
• riot shield    (politi)skjold
• run riot    gå grassat, løbe løbsk

Nederlands (Dutch)
rel, onlusten

Français (French)
n. - (gén) émeute, (Jur) émeute, révolte, profusion de, affrontement, personne tordante (fam)
v. intr. - (gén) se soulever, se mutiner
v. tr. - se soulever, se mutiner

idioms:

• a riot of    une profusion de
• read the riot act    passer un savon à, (Jur) faire les trois sommations
• riot police    unités anti-émeutes
• riot shield    bouclier anti-émeutes
• run riot    (lit) se déchaîner, (fig) se débrider, galoper, proliférer

Deutsch (German)
n. - Aufstand, Aufruhr, Krawall
v. - einen Aufstand machen

idioms:

• a riot of    ein (buntes) Durcheinander
• read the riot act    jmdm. die Leviten lesen
• riot police    Bereitschaftspolizei
• riot shield    Schutzschild
• run riot    randalieren

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ταραχή, ξεσηκωμός, υπεραφθονία, όργιο, (καθομ.) διασκεδαστικότατο πρόσωπο ή πράγμα
v. - παίρνω μέρος σε ταραχές, θορυβώ, χαλώ τον κόσμο, πανηγυρίζω

idioms:

• a riot of    (μτφ.) όργιο
• read the riot act    καλώ ταραξίες να διαλυθούν, απευθύνω αυστηρή προειδοποίηση
• riot police    μονάδες αποκατάστασης τάξης
• riot shield    ασπίδα αστυνομικών στη διάρκεια ταραχών
• run riot    οργιάζω, αποχαλινώνομαι, φουντώνω, θρασεύω

Italiano (Italian)
rivolta, sommossa

idioms:

• a riot of    una profusione di
• read the riot act    ammonire severamente
• riot police    squadra volante
• riot shield    scudo di poliziotto
• run riot    abbandonarsi ad eccessi

Português (Portuguese)
n. - tumulto (m), orgia (f)
v. - tumultuar

idioms:

• a riot of    tumulto, motim
• read the riot act    declarar com autoridade que algo deve parar
• riot police    polícia treinada para controlar distúrbios
• riot shield    escudo para proteção (polícia)
• run riot    esbanjar

Русский (Russian)
бунт, беспорядки

idioms:

• a riot of    буйство
• read the riot act    отчитать, прочесть Закон Против Бунта
• riot police    войска специального назначения
• riot shield    пластиковый щит
• run riot    буйствовать, расти в роскоши

Español (Spanish)
n. - disturbio, motín, exuberancia, derroche
v. intr. - armar alborotos o motines, o participar en ellos, entregarse al desenfreno, ser exuberante, moverse tumultuosamente, atacar en tumulto
v. tr. - dilapidar, derrochar

idioms:

• a riot of    derroche o profusión de
• read the riot act    echar un rapapolvo a alguien
• riot police    brigada antidisturbios
• riot shield    escudo antidisturbios
• run riot    desmandarse, descontrolarse

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - upplopp, våldsamt utbrott, knallsuccé, (sl) våldsamt rolig sak
v. - delta i upplopp, fira orgier

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
暴动, 奔放, 喧闹, 参加暴乱, 放纵, 沉湎, 聚众闹事, 浪费, 挥霍

idioms:

• a riot of    色彩缤纷
• read the riot act    宣读骚动取缔法令
• riot police    防暴警察
• riot shield    防暴护罩
• run riot    跟错踪迹, 胡闹, 肆无忌惮, 茂盛

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 暴動, 奔放, 喧鬧
v. intr. - 參加暴亂, 放縱, 沈湎, 聚眾鬧事
v. tr. - 浪費, 揮霍

idioms:

• a riot of    色彩繽紛
• read the riot act    宣讀騷動取締法令
• riot police    防暴警察
• riot shield    防暴護罩
• run riot    跟錯蹤跡, 胡鬧, 肆無忌憚, 茂盛

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 소동, 범람, 방탕
v. intr. - 소동을 일으키다, 방탕하다, 꽃이 만연하다
v. tr. - 방탕 생활로 소비하다, 낭비하다

idioms:

• a riot of    가지각색, 분방
• run riot    방탕한 짓을 하다, 함부로 날뛰다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 暴動, 騒動, 多彩さ, ほとばしり, 奔放, 混乱
v. - 暴動に加わる, 大騒ぎをする, ふける, はびこる

idioms:

• a riot of    ほとばしり激発
• riot police    機動隊
• riot shield    暴動鎮圧用楯
• run riot    暴れ回る, はびこる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) شغب, إخلال بالأمن (فعل) يشاغب, يخل بالأمن, يقصف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מהומה, התפרעות, רעש, הילולה, גילוי, התפרצות (רגשות), הצלחה, דבר משעשע, הנאה בזבזנית, הוללות‬
v. intr. - ‮הקים מהומות, השתולל, התהולל‬
v. tr. - ‮בזבז (כסף, זמן וכו') על חיי הוללות‬

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