Protest or Riot: What's the Difference?

 Greetings,

The protest is a legitimate form of political resistance and statement. It is a legitimate way to make a political issue made known. Let me be first clear about this at the beginning of this discussion. I have no issue with people gathering and marching, or gathering in a public place and making speeches. The issue is where it becomes a criminal activity, and the supposedly blurry line in between, that in fact is not so blurry.

A Protest

The protest march disrupts traffic and the normal flow, this is its purpose. This is the way the individuals involved gain attention for its cause. The amount of people marching, the banners displayed, chanting slogans and statements, often now the use of bullhorns. All of these things are designed to draw the person's eye to the march, to draw the attention to the issue which is being made known.

In some places, these marches are organised with the local law enforcement agencies so roads can be closed so there are no incidences with traffic, and so they can be on-hand to offer assistance, and to provide a measure of prevention of criminal incidences. The ones where they are organised in this fashion with law enforcement notification, with permission to march, these are most often peaceful marches. There are few incidences and little law enforcement involvement as a result.

The presence of law enforcement will increase with the number of protesters, they respond to the number of people in the march. They also respond to the nature of the crowd. This will decide what sort of gear they will bring with them when they arrive at the march. The law enforcement personnel respond to the actions of the protestors, this is an important note that must be remembered as we go along.

Can certain law enforcement agencies be heavy-handed in their treatment of protestors? Yes. Is there a recorded history of law enforcement agencies being heavy handed in their treatment of protestors in certain countries? Yes. These facts are acknowledged. However, it must also be acknowledged that there are some who have violent and criminal intent when they involve themselves in the marches.

The Other Protest

There are other protest marches, where individuals gather with the intention of highlighting a political purpose, however they are also there with criminal intent. They are also there with criminally disruptive intent. There is a difference between this sort of march and the one described above. There are the same banners, marching, slogans and chanting, bullhorns being used. 

However within the crowd there are a group of individuals who are intent on disrupting the march and causing violent activity to occur. These violent activities often occur when marches of different political or social ideals meet. Regardless of ideology, religious or political, there are those who will cause violence and criminal activity, for that is their reason for being there. These individuals are often masked and carry weapons, they have violent intent.

Criminal Activity

A person who strikes another person is guilty of assault, it is a criminal charge, it is as simple as that. It doesn't matter what creed, colour or ideology the other person is, or if they are expressing their political beliefs, the person has just committed assault. A person who strikes a police officer is guilty of the same charge. A person who throws an object through a window, strikes a car with another object, or destroys something is guilty of vandalism at the least, wilful damage at a higher charge, both of which are also criminal charges. The person has just committed a criminal act.

When a group of protestors starts committing the acts described above, or other such criminal acts including assault, looting as a result of breaking windows, they have turned their political gathering into a criminal gathering; they have turned their protest into a riot. It has turned the lawful assembly (the protest) into an unlawful assembly (a riot) and the law enforcement agencies have a responsibility to act to protect the lives and the property of the public. Law-abiding persons should disperse and immediately disassociate themselves from such an assembly.

A law enforcement officer who sees a criminal act in process is duty-bound to attempt to arrest that individual, because they have committed that criminal act. Not because they are a protestor. Not because they are an oppressive part of the system, but because they have committed a criminal act. If the individual had not committed a criminal act the law enforcement officer would not be arresting the individual.

Result

A person can go to a protest and march for their particular cause. They can join like-minded individuals and march through the streets shouting their slogans and singing their songs to bring attention to their cause. The organisers of the march should allow the police to know about the protest, to give legitimacy to the march and the cause, in some places it also legalises the assembly.

So long as the individuals march in a peaceful fashion and do not commit any criminal acts there should be no entanglement with law enforcement. For some causes they believe that any attention they get is good, because it spreads their cause around; this should not be the aim of a protest, a peaceful protest while it does not get much publicity in the media, will not get the people involved branded as criminals either. Think about your true intentions, and choices. Then think about their consequences.

Cheers,

Henry.