Why do people riot? Examining rioter motivations and the role of the police

This article examines different theoretical explanations for rioting and crowd violence drawing on psychological, sociological and political perspectives. Varied ideas and research that have sought to better understand why people are motivated to riot are discussed whilst considering the history of past riots. The role of the law and in particular, police practices in tackling, and in many cases exacerbating crowd violence are also explored with a critical eye on the latest police science research. Both individual psychological motivations and deeper intersectional social inequalities are drawn together in this piece to comprehensively account for the reasons why people choose to riot. Alongside considering Willmott’s typology for differentiating rioters, recommendations are made for police practitioners and state authorities tasked with de-escalating the impact of riots when they occur. The efficacy of recommendations and theoretical explanations are considered directly in relation to the August 2011 and August 2024 English riots.