Editing Riot control (section)

{{Short description|Measures taken against unlawful or violent crowds of people}}
{{distinguish|crowd control}}
[[File:USMC-110306-M-5797H-224.jpg|thumb|American marines and Caribbean soldiers clashing during a riot control [[training exercise]] in 2011]]{{Neutral|date=January 2025|talk=Neutrality}}
'''Riot control''' is a form of [[public order policing]] used by [[law enforcement]], [[military]], [[paramilitary]] or [[security forces]] to [[social control|control]], disperse, and [[arrest]] people who are involved in a [[riot]], unlawful [[Demonstration (people)|demonstration]] or unlawful [[protest]].

If a riot is spontaneous, then actions which cause people to stop and think (e.g. loud noises or issuing instructions in a calm tone) can be enough to stop it. However, these methods usually fail when there is severe anger, or the riot was planned or organized. Riot control personnel have long used [[less lethal weapon]]s such as [[Baton (law enforcement)|batons]] and whips to disperse crowds and detain rioters. Since the 1980s, riot control officers have also used [[tear gas]], [[pepper spray]], [[rubber bullet]]s, [[stun grenades]], and electric [[taser]]s. In some cases, riot squads may also use [[Long Range Acoustic Device]]s, [[water cannon]]s, [[armoured fighting vehicle]]s, [[aerial surveillance]], [[police dog]]s or [[mounted police]] on horses. Persons performing riot control typically wear protective equipment such as [[riot protection helmet|riot helmets]], face visors, [[personal armor|body armor]] (vests, neck protectors, knee pads, etc.), [[gas mask]]s and [[riot shield]]s. Even though riot tactics are effective in controlling crowds, they can also lead to significant psychological effects on both the rioters and the police. Exposure to intense fear, stress, and violence during these confrontations can result in long-term mental health issues, like anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and heightened aggression, which can impact the well-being of protesters and police officers.

There have been cases where lethal weapons are used to violently suppress a protest or riot, as in the [[April 9 tragedy|Tbilisi Massacre]], [[Nika riots|Nika Riots in the Roman Empire]], [[Boston Massacre]], [[Haymarket Massacre]], [[Banana Massacre]], [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956]], [[Kent State shootings|Kent State Shootings]], [[Soweto uprising|Soweto Uprising]], [[Sharpeville massacre]], [[Mendiola massacre|Mendiola Massacre]], [[Bloody Sunday (1905)]], [[Ponce massacre]], [[Río Piedras massacre]], [[Bloody Sunday (1972)]], [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre|1989 Tiananmen Square protests]], [[2017 Venezuelan protests]], [[2018–2019 Gaza border protests]], [[2022 Sri Lankan protests]], [[2022 Kazakh unrest]] and [[Mahsa Amini protests]].