French riots: can you predict them?
There has been a fourth night of protest in France over the police shooting of a teenager.
The media refer to riots and Macron has ordered a law and order crack down. Arrests continue as do protests
The Kaiser Chiefs famously sang that they ‘predict a riot’ but in fact this is not possible.
While many riots are not quite the spontaneous events they seem to authority- there is usually some spark, often the intervention of authority in a protest, that provokes them- they are not and cant be pre=planned events like a big demonstration.
Historically, are riots for abstract principles like Brexit common. Action over rising food prices while wages dont keep pace would be a more likely focus. Police racism is another
Expect more protests and riots
Keith Flett is the Editor of A History of Riots (CSP 2015)
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