The Riot Act

[ffutures]

What a shame that they don't read the riot act any more. I love the language...

"Our Sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons being assembled immediately to disperse themselves and peacefully depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the Act made in the first year of King George for preventing tumultuous and riotous assemblies. God save the King."

Obviously it gets changed to Queen if the monarch is female. Imagine being the poor sod who has to read that out in the face of a raging mob...

Many years ago the BBC radio Today Show broadcast a version of the riot act recorded with the background sounds of a tea-room (chamber music, the quiet rattle of cups, etc.) gradually escalating to smashing cups and shattering windows as the act was read. Is it on line anywhere? Can't find it if it is.

Comments

[frandowdsofa.livejournal.com]

Jack de Manio said it was read by Spike Milligan, with sound effects by him with stuff he found in the studio or had in his pockets. I've always assumed it was gone forever, along with the regular appearances of Colonel A D Wintle.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Right - that's where I read it, in one of de Manio's books, I'd forgotten he said it was Milligan.

[nwhepcat.livejournal.com]

That is very cool! I never knew there was an actual Riot Act that was literally read. (Agreed -- not the world's awesomest job to be the reader.)

Here's hoping our governor doesn't find out, or his Assembly cronies would probably enact the thing and use it at peaceful gatherings.

Icon: Bobby Singer's version of the Riot Act.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

It hasn't been used in anger much, but for a long time it was part of British law and ready to be used if necessary. Since the penalties theoretically included execution it must have been fairly useful for cooling tempers.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Forgot to say that on at least one occasion the action that followed apparently involved cavalry with drawn swords to clear the mob.

[robertprior.livejournal.com]

If you're thinking of the Peterloo Massacre, the crowd in question wasn't rioting. Dressed in their Sunday best, many of them.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

You're right - I was remembering it wrong.

[adrian-middle.livejournal.com]

It was regularly read against Chartists under threat of military action by Charles Napier, after whom many pubs were named. His great quote on colonialism was "the best way to quiet a country is a good thrashing, followed by great kindness afterwards".

[jordan179.livejournal.com]

I think that if the mob is actually "charging," one reads it out as the troops open fire :)

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

No - there was supposed to be a 1-hour cooling off period.

[armb.livejournal.com]

There was a one hour period before failing to have dispersed was an offense, but that wouldn't necessarily have stopped troops (legally) opening fire if they were being charged.

"Lord Mansfield observed that the Riot Act did not take away the pre-existing power of the authorities to use force to stop a violent riot." (But the context was that he was clearing up confusion after riots where that was unclear, so it might well have discouraged use of force during that hour.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riot_Act#Subsequent_history_of_the_Riot_Act_in_the_UK