How to Survive a Riot

What do college tuition increases, soccer games, institutionalized oppression, editorial cartoons, and a movie star's death have in common? They've all ignited riots in the past few years.

It's no secret that angry mobs can be as dangerous and unpredictable as just about any natural disaster. As many as a million people in India and Pakistan died in the civil unrest that followed India's independence, for example, and thousands are killed in riots around the world each year. What may be surprising, however, is that riots can break out anywhere. What's more, as the above examples suggest, while the underlying causes of civil unrest are often the "usual suspects" of racial, religious, economic, or political divisions, seemingly inconsequential events can suddenly trigger mass violence. Fortunately, while you may not always be able to avoid riots, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from harm.

Be prepared. If you know an area is ripe for a riot but you can't avoid traveling there, take some simple precautions to help protect yourself. Wear clothes that minimize the amount of exposed skin--long pants and long-sleeve shirts, for instance--when going out, and think about your possible escape routes and safe havens before anything actually happens. Carry some cash with you in case you need to quickly arrange transportation, pay off looters, or bribe police at a checkpoint. If you're traveling abroad, register with your country's consulate and carry your passport and/or visa with you at all times.

Remain calm. Riots bring intense emotions boiling to the surface, but if you want to survive one you'd be better off keeping yours in check. Your adrenaline and survival instincts will kick in, but try to think rationally and pursue safety methodically.

Get inside and stay inside. Typically riots occur in the streets or elsewhere outside. Being inside, especially in a large, sturdy structure, can be your best protection to weather the storm. Keep doors and windows locked, avoid watching the riot from windows or balconies, and try to move to inside rooms, where the danger of being hit by stones or bullets is minimized. Try to find at least two possible exits in case you need to evacuate the building in a hurry. Try to contact police or your country's consulate to let them know where you are, and be on the lookout for signs of fire. If the building is set on fire get out quickly. If rioters are targeting the building and gain entry, try to sneak out or hide.

Stay on the sidelines. If you're caught up in a riot, don't take sides. Try to look as inconspicuous as possible, and slowly and carefully move to the outside of the mob. Stay close to walls or other protective barriers if possible.
Avoid being hit by riot control chemicals. Police may deploy riot control agents (tear gas, for example) to disperse a crowd. These chemicals can cause severe pain, respiratory distress, and blindness. Try to stay away from the front lines of a riot, and learn to recognize the signs that a riot control agent has been used and how to handle exposure.

Move away from the riot. The more time you spend in the midst of a riot, the greater your chance of being injured or killed. That said, in most circumstances it's better to move out of a riot slowly. If you run, you will draw attention to yourself, so it's usually best to walk. It can also be dangerous to move against a crowd, so go with the flow until you are able to escape into a doorway or up a side street or alley. It may also be advantageous to stay with the crowd until you are certain you can safely escape because it will help you remain inconspicuous and improve your odds of survival if shots are fired.

Think of crowd movement like currents in the ocean. In a large riot, the crowd in the middle will be moving faster than the people on the perimeters. As such, if you find yourself in the middle, you should not try to move in a different direction, but follow the flow and slowly make your way to the outside. This requires patience in order to work properly.

Avoid major roads. Major roads, squares, and other high traffic areas are likely to be crowded with rioters. If possible, stick to less-traveled side streets to avoid the mobs.

Avoid public transportation. Buses, subways, and trains will likely be out of service, and stations and depots will probably be packed with people. Even if you succeed in getting on a train or bus, rioters may stop it. Subway stations are particularly bad places to be, both because they are generally difficult to escape and because riot control agents are generally heavier than air and may drift down into subway stations and accumulate there.
Don't stop your car. If you're lucky enough to have a car that you can drive away from the riot, drive quickly and try not to stop for anything until you've reached someplace you know is safe. If people seem to block your escape route; honk your horn, and carefully drive through or around them at a moderate speed, and they should get out of the way.

Driving towards Police lines can be interpreted by the Police as a preparation to use the car as a weapon against them. Police are trained and prepared to protect themselves against deadly threats meaning that you may be shot at if they think you are going to run them down with a car.

Activist fear of cars can be a reality as there have been numerous cases of irate non-participants running down protesters. Any pushing though the crowd should be done with the demeanor of patience, aggression may lead to an attempt to disable your car before it is used as a weapon.

Get to a safe place, and stay put. Choose a safe haven carefully. Sometimes it can be as close as your hotel room, but other times you'll need to get out of the country entirely. If you're abroad, you will generally want to head to your country's embassy or the airport. Try to contact the embassy before going there, however, to let them know you're coming and to find out if it is safe to go there. If a mob is gathered outside, embassy staff may be able to direct you to a safer place. In any case, just try to put as much distance as possible between yourself and the riot.

If you find yourself caught and being led in a stampeding crowd, to avoid being crushed, try to climb up by digging your elbows into the shoulders of those around you. The crowd will carry you, possibly saving you from tripping and being crushed or trampled.

Try to figure out why the riot is occurring. Knowing the cause of a riot can help you determine an appropriate response. That said, don't waste too much time trying to investigate the cause, and don't venture into a riot just to find out why the rioters are mad.

Dress appropriately. If the anger of the rioters is directed toward foreigners, try to look like a local. Choose clothing that will help you blend in. If the rioters are divided into factions, however, try to appear neutral. Don't wear clothing or carry accessories that might mark you as belonging to one faction or another. In either case, try to avoid looking conspicuously wealthy, as you are likely to draw the unwanted attention of opportunistic thieves.
If a riot breaks out in a stadium, your response should be different depending on where you are in relation to the rioters. If you are in the midst of a riot, you should try to quickly move to an exit. Don't run, however, and try not to jostle others. If you are at some distance from the action, stay where you are unless instructed to move by police or security personnel. Don't rush for the exits unless you're in imminent danger. People are frequently trampled by stampeding crowds near exits.

When in the middle of a tear gas attack, stay out of the fire line of Police. Gas canisters fired from launchers will cause significant injury upon impact.

Sometimes however, there can be lot of gas that you can not find a place to go before finding yourself within the cloud. Run across the wind, try to breathe as little as possible, do quick eye shots to figure out where to go and try to keep low. After coming into contact with tear gas, keep your eyes open to let the gas dissipate, and flush your eyes with clean water.

Gas is not very heavy so you can find clearer air nearer the floor. Never touch your eyes or try to clean your tears; you will only smear them in your face causing yourself more pain.

Riots don't drop out of thin air. Generally, there may be signs of public anger and violence at least one day (in some cases even 3-4 days) before the actual riot. Reading the newspapers and following the news may give you a warning about impending protests, rallies, marches etc. Being informed and avoiding troubled areas may be your best defense.

Do not try to confront rioters or looters to prevent property damage. No material thing is worth your life.

Do not approach police lines to attempt to cross to safety. Police are in place to confine the unrest and prevent its spread. Their orders are not to allow anyone to pass, and there are no exceptions except for injured officers to be evacuated. The use of riot control measures, including rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons originate from the police line, and the likelihood of injury is greatest there.

Watch your footing in a mob situation. If you stumble and fall to the ground you're likely to be trampled. This is especially dangerous in stadiums and other enclosed areas, where many unfortunate victims have been crushed to death.

If you fall down, pull yourself up into a ball. Protect your face, ears and internal organs. In this position you are a smaller object that can be avoided. You will receive less damage if you are stepped on. If others trip on you they will help create a larger "pile" that rioters will avoid.

Try not to negotiate with a crowd. It is impossible. If a crowd suddenly turns their violence against you for some reasons, don't try to convince them that you are innocent. Run!

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