| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
Riots in Newark, New Jersey
Riots occur when crowds of people have gathered and are committing crimes or acts of violence.
Dispersing violent crowds is usually a task for the police, although widespread rioting may require military support. Unstable countries typically have paramilitary forces because rioting would be a daily occurrence without them.
"Less than lethal" weapons, such as water cannon, rubber bullets, flexible baton rounds and riot control agent, are often used to control riots.Rioters in Barcelona, SpainThe Kingdom of Spain is a country located in the southwest of Europe. It shares the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. To the northeast, along the Pyrenees mountain range, it borders France and the tiny principality of Andorra. It inc, 20032003 is a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar), and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Summary Perhaps the defining global event of the year 2003 was the Invasion of Iraq launched by the U, destroying a McDonalds sign. Some repressive countries use deadly forceDeadly force is that level of force which is inherently likely to cause death or great bodily injury. Firearms, blades and explosives are among those weapons the use of which is considered deadly force. See also Police, non-lethal force. to stop riots, particularly if martial lawMartial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a particular situation requires that a military authority take control of the normal administration of justice (and usually of the whole state). Martial law is is declared or in a country at warFor other uses of War, see War (disambiguation). War is conflict, between relatively large groups of people, which involves physical force inflicted by the use of weapons. Other terms for war include armed conflict hostilities and police action''. See Lim. This is generally permissible under the laws of warThe laws of war Jus in bello define the conduct and responsibilities of belligerent nations, neutral nations and individuals engaged in warfare, in relation to each other and to protected persons usually meaning civilians. The laws of war are mandatory fo so long as nonparticipating civilians are not intended targets. Collateral damageCollateral damage denotes accidental damage to civilians and non-military property or lands during war, due to actions that did not violate the laws of war. Although the concept goes back at least to Thomas Aquinas, some feel the phrase is used these days is a common result.
Under UK law, a riot is defined by the 1986 Public Order Act as 12 or more persons who "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". This carries the possibility of a fine and a sentence of up to ten years' imprisonment.
If there are fewer than twelve people present, violence may constitute the lesser offence of Violent Disorder . This is defined the same way as for a riot, but for 3 or more persons.