How to Survive a Riot: 15 Steps (with Pictures)

2024 Author: Jason Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 10:50

Despite their dramatic appearance, raging mobs are just as dangerous and unpredictable as natural disasters. Thousands of people die in riots around the world every year, and these riots can occur due to unpredictable racial, religious, economic, political, or social issues. If you're caught in the middle of a riot, you may not be able to escape right away, but you can take some steps to protect yourself from harm. If you want to know how to survive a riot, follow these steps.

Step

Method 1 of 1: Saving Yourself from the Riot

Step 1. Get ready

If you believe you're in the middle of a riot scene but can't escape it, take simple precautions that could have a big impact on your life. While it's easier to assume that riots won't happen in your area, it's better to be prepared for the worst. Even the calmest crowd can turn dangerous when one of its members goes crazy and goes berserk. Anger and hysteria can be contagious, so it's better to know how to avoid situations like this if that's the case.

• Get to know your area. If you're only visiting a location for a specific reason, you should still be as familiar with the area around you as possible. Study the map until you fully understand the area you work in, the area you live in, and the routes between the two locations.
• Think of escape routes and shelters before anything actually happens. Crossroads are a good choice because you have at least more than one path to get out of the crowd in case it gets crazy or the police start arriving.
• If you work in a volatile environment, make sure that you know some of the routes back home so that you can have some means of escaping the ongoing riots.
• Bring some cash in case you need to arrange transportation, give money to looters, or buy your basic necessities.

Step 2. Stay calm

Riots make emotions tense, but if you want to survive it's better if you stay emotionally aware, that is, stay calm. Adrenaline and self-defense instincts will indeed arise, but try to think rationally and choose safe ways.

• Avoid confrontation by maintaining an unobtrusive body position.
• Keep walking. If you run or move too fast, you can attract unwanted attention.

Step 3. Bring your loved ones as close to you as possible

If you're not alone, the first thing you should do is hold hands or hold hands with the people you're with. If you have a small child, carry him or her so they don't fall. Staying with the people you love should be your first priority, then the second is finding a way out. Make sure once again that the people you are with remain the same number. You'll be fine if you all stick together.

Step 4. Don't join the riot

If you get caught up in a riot, never start taking sides, helping, or standing out. In fact, you should try not to stand out as much as possible when moving out of the riot and away from it. To do this, stay close to walls and other barriers, but avoid narrow streets, or any areas where a lot of people jostle through narrow streets.

Step 5. Drive the car properly, if you are driving

Unless your car is the center of attention from a raging riot, you should stay in the car and continue to drive as calmly as possible. Try to find a way that is free from riots, and avoid the main roads that are usually used by them. Keep moving forward and don't stop just to see how things are going. If someone tries to block your car, honk the horn and keep driving until you're out of the crowd (of course, this doesn't mean you hit the person). Drive at the right speed so they have time to step aside and realize you're serious.

• Remember that you are in a stronger position when you are driving. Don't let some angry people stop your car, and just keep driving until you really can't move your car.
• Many rioters are afraid of oncoming cars because in some cases, drivers hit people protesting on the street. Remember to stay firm, but not aggressive, to prevent the wrong impression.

Step 6. Get out of the crowd as quietly as possible

If you are walking, you should walk away in the direction of the pedestrian, not in the opposite direction. If you go in the opposite direction, you will stand out and can be attacked. Use your elbows to push the crowd so you can walk. But even if you want to save yourself, you have to move calmly and rather slowly.

• Keep moving with the crowd until you can escape to an exit, an alley, a curb, or a safe building.
• If you are in a crowd, it is very important to try to move towards the crowd, until you can find a way out of the crowd.

Step 7. Avoid traffic jam areas

To increase your chances of safety, you should avoid areas that might otherwise be crowded and dangerous roads, so you don't end up putting yourself in a dangerous situation. While the congested area may be your quickest route home, it is not the safest route if it is the target of riots. Therefore, here's what you should do:

• Avoid the main roads. Main streets, intersections and crowded areas are usually the target of riots. As much as possible, stay on less traveled streets to avoid the crowds.
• Avoid public transportation. Bus, subway and train/electric will usually not work. In addition, stations and stops may be overcrowded.

Step 8. Move to a safe enclosed area

Riots usually occur in the streets, not inside buildings. Only by getting inside a sturdy and controlled building can you protect yourself from the dangers of rioting. Any building with a basement, or even a sub-basement area, can help you hide from the riots. Being in a safe building is safer than being on the streets. Look for houses that are open for riot victims to hide (safe houses / “safe houses”) to get safer protection when you really need a safe place during a riot. If you can, talk to the landlord first.

• Lock the doors and windows, and stay away from the rioters. While it might be tempting to watch the riot from the window, don't do it, as this will increase your risk of getting hurt.
• Move to a room that does not directly face the outside, to avoid throwing stones or being shot by bullets or rockets.
• Look for at least two exits from inside the building just in case you have to get out immediately.
• Be on the lookout for fire. If an angry crowd turns to the building, the building can become a target for arson.

Step 9.

Stay up to date with the latest information.

Use social media, radio, or local news channels to find out where to stay away. Just as rioters use social media networks to coordinate with each other about targeted locations, you can also use social media to tell many others about places to stay away from. Information about which streets and areas are now the target of riots gives you immediate warning of places to avoid.

• Social media networks may provide new information more quickly, although not so precisely, so you should be prepared for any eventuality.
• Remember that staying informed can be more useful in helping you avoid a riot than in saving you from a riot. Staying up to date with the latest news can help you figure out areas to avoid before you go through with them.

Additional Precautions for High-Risk Areas

1. Wear safe clothing. Wear clothing that minimizes the appearance of your skin, such as long pants and long-sleeved shirts, when you go out. Do not wear clothing that could look like the clothes of a military or police officer. Avoid any clothing that looks like a uniform. Also, if you don't want to be misunderstood by the police as one of the perpetrators involved in the riot, avoid dark colored clothing, especially black hooded T-shirts/jackets, as this type of clothing is often chosen by rioters in many countries around the world.

   

   Each mob of rioters has its own characteristics. While you can't change your clothes in the midst of a riot, as much as possible you shouldn't look like a rioter. For example, if you are caught in the middle of a riot and wear the same t-shirt as a rioter, take it off

2. Bring a solution to wash your eyes, just in case you get tear gas in your eyes. If you're worried about tear gas, bring an eye swab that contains half antacid solution and half water (which is better to spray than squirt, and is available at most drugstores and convenience stores). Use the liquid to wash your eyes if you are exposed to tear gas.

   • You can also bring toothpaste and apply it under your eyes if tear gas is sprayed but you don't have anything else to protect you.

     

   • Another useful item to carry is a cloth dipped in lemon water or vinegar in a plastic bag, which you can inhale while breathing as a way of protecting against gas attacks.

     

3. Keep important personal documents with you if you are traveling abroad. If you are traveling abroad, register with your country's consulate and/or carry your passport with you at all times. Even if you are traveling within the country, always carry your ID and emergency telephone number, just in case you are caught or unconscious.

   

4. Bring an extra cell phone. When traveling through high-risk areas, you should take your mobile phone with you, and if possible, bring two (one in your pocket and one in your bag). If one is lost or stolen, you still have the other one.

   

5. Bring candy to maintain your energy level. Your adrenaline and energy will drain quickly and consuming sugar will help you move faster.

   

6. Avoid chemicals or riot control weapons. Police may deploy riot control devices (eg tear gas, water gunfire, rubber bullets) to disperse crowds. These weapons and chemicals can cause excruciating pain, shortness of breath, and blindness. Try to stay away from the front lines of rioting, and learn to be aware of the signs that riot control tools are being rolled out and how to deal with them so you don't get hit.

   • Avoid using skin moisturizers or oil-based sunscreen creams, as the oils can make the chemicals stick to your skin. Cleanse your skin with soap from an oil-based moisturizing layer, before you get close to a riot.

     

   • Choose glasses, not contact lenses. Tear gas that is exposed to the back of the contact lens can irritate the eyes. Swimming goggles can protect your eyes, or you can also wear a gas mask.

     

   • Put a wet headband or bandana in a plastic bag and bring it to your mouth. Wrap a cloth around your mouth if tear gas is released. This cloth must be replaced continuously because it will continue to absorb the gas.

     

   • Wear vinyl or latex gloves to protect your hands from pepper spray, as nerve endings will hurt if you get hit by the spray.

     

   • Bring a change of clothes in case you are exposed to chemicals or water fire. Put your clothes in a plastic bag for protection.

     

   • Do not wipe your eyes, mouth, and other parts of your face with your hands or fingers after a chemical attack. Stay calm.

Tips

• Riots don't just happen. In general, there are signs of public anger and violence at least one day (in some cases maybe even 3-4 days) before the actual riots occur. Reading newspapers and following the news can help you get alerts about upcoming protests, demonstrations, marches, etc. Staying informed and avoiding problem areas is your best defense.
• When in the midst of a tear gas attack, stay away from police lines. A tossed gas can and hitting your head or body can cause serious injury.
• If a riot occurs in a stadium, your response should be different, depending on the point in which you are related to the riot. If you are in the midst of a riot, you should try to move to the exit.
• Don't run and try not to jostle with other people. If you are some distance from the riot, stay where you are unless the police or security directs you. Do not rush to the exit unless you are in the midst of great danger. People usually stumble in the crowds jostling for the exits.
• Some gases are not so dangerous, and some are dangerous, so avoiding fumes and gases is the best way to go. Never touch your eyes or try to wipe your tears, as this means you are smearing your face with the gas and this will cause you more pain.
• Stay away from rioting at all times.

Warning

• If you fall, curl up and get into a crouch. Protect your face, ears and internal organs. With this position, you become a small object, which tends to be avoided. This way, you are less likely to get injured if you step on it. While it's possible for someone else to stumble and fall on you, this will only create an enlarged object shape, which the rioters will still avoid.
• Don't try to deal with rioters or looters just to protect your belongings. Nothing is more valuable than your life.
• Watch your steps in a chaotic situation. If you stumble and fall, you may be stepped on. This is dangerous, especially in stadiums and enclosed areas, with many victims being trampled to death.
• For your own safety, do not approach the police line. The police aim to contain the rioters and prevent their spread. Usually they will not allow anyone to cross the police line. Riot control devices, including rubber bullets, tear gas and water fire, were launched from police lines, and the most dangerous injuries were probably in the area.
• Never touch tear gas cans with your bare hands, as they are very hot to touch.