History of Rioting

1. History of Rioting Do you know their significance and why you are participating in them?

2. What Does it Mean to Riot? • Riots occur when crowds or even small groups of people gather to commit acts of violence and property damage, usually 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 races or religions, or even the outcome of a sporting event. Some claim that rioters are motivated by a rejection of or frustration with legal channels through which to air their grievances.

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

4. Some Riots of the Past • 1182 - (Constantinople, Byzantine Empire). Venetians and other "Latins" massacred during a riot. • 1714 - Beer Tax Riots, (Alkmaar, Netherlands) • 1831 - Cholera Riots, (Sevastopol/St. Petersburg, Russia) • 1831 - Bristol Riots • 1832 - Anti-Abolitionist Riot, (New York City, New York, USA) • 1860 - Lambing Flat riots, (New South Wales, Australia) • 1861 - Baltimore Riot of 1861, (Baltimore, Maryland, USA) • 1902 - French School Riots, (Brittany/Savoy, France) • 1919 - Washington, DC Riot of 1919, (Washington, D.C., USA) • 1919 - Bloody Saturday, (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)

5. Some Riots in the 21st Century • 2001 - Seattle Mardi Gras Riots, February 2001, (Seattle, WA, USA) • 2001 - 2001 Cincinnati Riots, April 2001, (Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) • 2001 - Quebec City Summit of the Americas, April 2001 (Quebec, Canada) • 2002 - Ohio State University post Michigan football game riot, November 2002, (Columbus, OH, USA) • 2003 - Benton Harbor, Mich. Riot, June 2003, (Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA) • 2003 - Maldives civil unrest, September 2003, (Malé, Maldives) 2006 - 2006 Windsor ethnic violence • 2006 protests in Hungary • 2006 Brussels riots

6. The Many Faces of Riots

7. Recipe for Disaster • The most obvious way to get a riotous crowd to assemble is the occurrence of what could be called a ``Schelling incident,'' after Thomas Schelling, the great master of strategic theory. In The Strategy of Conflict (1960: 90) Schelling wrote, • It is usually the essence of mob formation that the potential members have to know not only where and when to meet but just when to act so that they act in concert. Overt leadership solves the problem; but leadership can often be identified and eliminated by the authority trying to prevent mob action. In this case the mob's problem is to act in unison without overt leadership, to find some common signal that makes everyone confident that, if he acts on it, he will not be acting alone. The role of ``incidents'' can thus be seen as a coordinating role; it is a substitute for overt leadership and communication. Without something like an incident, it may be difficult to get action at all, since immunity requires that all know when to act together.

8. Stopping A Riot • Riots are typically dealt with by the police (as 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, and flexible baton rounds. 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. • Many police forces, such as the London Metropolitan Police Service, have dedicated divisions to deal with public order situations. • The policing of riots is controversial due to allegations that officers instigate, provoke or exacerbate situations into full-blown riots .