Riot

Riot, in criminal law, offence against the public peace, interpreted as any tumultuous disturbance by several people who have unlawfully assembled to assist one another, by the use of force if necessary, against anyone opposing them in the execution of some enterprise of a private nature; and who execute such enterprise in a violent manner, to the terror of the people. In common law, it was necessary to direct an unlawful assembly to disperse before action could be taken against it. This was known as reading the riot act.

In English statute law a riot is where 12 or more people together use or threaten violence in a way that would cause a reasonable person to be in fear. Each person is guilty of an offence. Formerly, a riot existed where three or more people came together in this way, as it still is the case in the United States; in England this is now the offence of violent disorder. The maximum sentence for riot is ten years' imprisonment, and for violent disorder five years.