Riot
A form of civil disorder involving public violence and property destruction.
A riot is a type of civil disorder where people commit public violence against authorities or property. These events usually involve destroying public or private property, with targets ranging from shops, cars, and restaurants to state institutions, religious buildings, or other symbols of a specific group. While political grievances can spark a riot, government offices have also been targeted in notable historical events such as the storming of the Bastille and the 1992 Los Angeles riots, showing that no location is immune.
Riots often stem from a perceived grievance or dissent. Historically, causes have included poverty, unemployment, poor living conditions, government oppression, taxation, conscription, ethnic or religious conflicts, the outcome of a sporting event, or frustration with legal ways to address complaints. Although individuals may try to lead or control a riot, these gatherings are typically disorganized and chaotic, exhibiting herd behavior. However, some evidence suggests that rioters may follow inverted social norms rather than acting irrationally.
Police often struggle to handle riots. They may use tear gas or CS gas, and riot police may employ less-lethal methods like shotguns firing flexible baton rounds or rubber bullets to injure or incapacitate rioters, breaking up the crowd or making arrests easier.
**Classification**
Food riots can occur due to shortages from harvest failures, poor storage, hoarding, poisoning, or pests. Desperate people may attack shops, farms, homes, or government buildings to loot staples like bread, grain, or salt. For example, in 1977, hundreds of thousands rioted in Egypt after food subsidies ended and prices rose.
A police riot refers to the disproportionate and unlawful use of force by a group of police against civilians, often involving attacks or provocation.
A political riot is one driven by political purposes or emerging from a political protest.
A prison riot is a large-scale, temporary act of defiance by prisoners against administrators, officers, or other inmates, often to express a grievance, force change, or attempt escape.
In a race riot, race or ethnicity is the key factor. The term entered English in the United States by the 1890s, originally referring to mob actions by a majority racial group against people of other perceived races.
In a religious riot, religion is the key factor. Hist
- field
- Civil disorder
- known_for
- Public violence, property destruction, and collective protest
- common_causes
- Poverty, unemployment, poor living conditions, governmental oppression, taxation, conscription, ethnic or religious conflict, sports outcomes
Quick Facts
- Parliament
- Parliament of England
- Year
- 1414
- Citation
- 2 Hen. 5. Stat. 1. c. 8
- Territorial Extent
- England and Wales
- Royal Assent
- 29 May 1414
- Commencement
- 30 April 1414Start of session.
- Repeal Date
- 1 January 1968
- Repealing Legislation
- Statute Law Revision Act 1948 · Criminal Law Act 1967
- Related Legislation
- Riot Act 1411 · Riot Act 1495 · Riot Act 1503
- Original Text
- https: · babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=pst.000017915526&seq=206
- Use New Uk-Leg
- no
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Riots have historically occurred due to a range of grievances, including poverty, unemployment, poor living conditions, governmental oppression, taxation, conscription, and conflicts between ethnic groups or religions. They may also be sparked by the outcome of a sporting event or frustration with legal channels for airing grievances. Food riots, for example, have resulted from harvest failures, hoarding, or food shortages, leading desperate individuals to loot shops, farms, or government buildings for staple foods.
Reader's Guide
Riots are significant as expressions of collective dissent or frustration, often arising when other means of redress are perceived as unavailable. They can have substantial economic and political effects, including property damage, injuries, and arrests. Police forces typically respond with less-lethal methods such as tear gas, rubber bullets, or flexible baton rounds, though such measures have occasionally resulted in deaths or injuries. The risk of arrest is noted as a deterrent, but as more people join a riot, the perceived risk decreases, potentially encouraging further participation. Riots are classified into types such as food riots, police riots, political riots, prison riots, race riots, religious riots, and sports riots, each with distinct triggers and targets.
Did You Know?
- Riots often occur in reaction to a grievance or out of dissent, and may be sparked by poverty, unemployment, or poor living conditions.
- While sports outcomes can sometimes trigger riots, they are not the most common cause in the United States according to widely accepted data.
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