Art. 212 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: Mass riots in 2022, organization

In criminal law, mass riots mean actions committed by numerous groups of people that encroach on public safety, which include violence against people, pogroms, arson and other methods of destruction of property, the use of weapons of various types, and resistance (including armed resistance) to the authorities. The object of the crime in this case is public safety. However, this is not the only object of attack in this crime.

The objective side is:

organizing riots;
direct personal participation in these collective actions;
calls to actively resist the demands imposed by the authorities, if such demands are legal, and to commit riots on a massive scale and violence against citizens, their property and the property of the state.

Organization consists of the organizer performing actions that are aimed at uniting a mass of people or controlling a crowd for the purpose of committing violent acts, arson, pogroms, destruction of property, the use of any types of weapons, resistance to authorities (including the use of weapons).

The organization allows the use of a variety of methods: statements addressed to the crowd, the formation of groups to incite unrest, etc. The subject of such a crime, according to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, is a sane 16-year-old person. The subjective side is the direct intent of the organizer, participants and persons expressing calls for resistance to government officials, unrest, and violence.

Concept

Mass riots were at one time practically the norm for our country. Even today we can see our Slavic brothers engaging in similar activities.

At its core, riots are a lack of discipline in the state, as well as a lack of democracy. Weakness of government and manifestation of anarchy.

But what are riots?

Mass riots are reflected in Article 212 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation .

In general, they represent crimes not against specific people, but specifically against their public and overall safety.

Also, the crime involves the organization of these same riots, the use of violence, as well as various pogroms , accompanied by varying degrees of arson , entailing the inevitable destruction of the property of civilians.

Most often, riots are committed with the use of so-called bladed weapons or firearms.

As for the forms of mass riots, there are three of them. The first is, of course, the embryonic one, in which the organizers of these very mass riots take part.

The next one is the participants in them. The third is a combination of both the first and second stages. Let's take a closer look at them.

Mass riots

Mass riots

is an attack on public safety committed by a large group of people (crowd), accompanied by violence against people, pogroms, arson, destruction of property, the use of firearms, explosives or explosive devices, and armed resistance to government officials.

The main object of the crime

is public safety,
additional objects
are public order, normal activities of state and municipal bodies and institutions, commercial and non-profit organizations, the rights and legally protected interests of individual citizens.

The objective side consists of:

in organizing mass riots, accompanied by violence, pogroms, arson, destruction of property, the use of firearms, explosives or explosive devices, as well as armed resistance to a representative of the authorities (Part 1 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation);
participation in mass riots (Part 2 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation);
in calls for active disobedience to the legal demands of government officials and for mass riots, calls for violence against citizens (Part 3 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

Organization of riots

- activities aimed at leading a crowd to carry out targeted actions, inciting in them a desire to commit pogroms, arson, destruction of property, use firearms, explosives or explosive devices, and provide armed resistance to a representative of the authorities.

Violence should be understood

beatings, restriction of freedom, causing minor and moderate harm to the health of victims, etc.

Pogrom

means the destruction of residential buildings, trade, industrial facilities, means of transport, communications and communications, destruction of monuments, etc.

Arson

cover such actions that lead to the fire of buildings, vehicles, oil storage facilities, commercial facilities, etc.

Destruction of property

- bringing it into complete disrepair.

Under the use of firearms, explosives or explosive devices

means their use to cause harm to human health, destruction of property, as well as the threat of using these items.

Providing armed resistance to a representative of the authorities means

direct use of firearms, bladed or other weapons or the threat of their use against a government official in order to impede the restoration of order or suppress crowd outrages.

Participation in riots

- this is the commission of at least some single action named in Part 1 of this article.

Calls for active disobedience to the legal demands of government officials and for mass riots, calls for violence against citizens

- open appeals to riot participants, aimed at inciting their reluctance to obey the legal demands of government officials, the desire to participate in mass riots, and to carry out violence against citizens.

Subjective side

- direct intent.

Subject of the crime

- general.

Organization

Criminal liability is also provided for organizing such actions.

The organizers have the goal of disintegrating and upsetting the society in which they themselves live, and this is the most dangerous of criminal goals.

What is organizing mass riots?

First of all, these are already well-known actions that are aimed at creating the unity of people in one place, simply put - a crowd, as well as providing for the use of weapons that can be used to carry out all mass riots.

Organization also means incitement or, in other words, dissemination of some information that will give rise to aggression .

Thus, organizing in itself is a very terrible crime, because through it people are given the right to anarchy within the rule of law. This is not only a gross violation of the law, but also a crime .

Commentary on Article 212 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

1. The social danger of a crime lies in the creation of a situation uncontrollable by authorities, entailing a disruption of the normal functioning of state and municipal bodies and institutions, commercial and other organizations, the rights and legally protected interests of citizens.

2. The object of the criminal attack is relations to maintain public safety measures.

3. The objective side of the crime provided for in Part 1 is expressed in the organization of mass riots (for the concept of mass riots, see the commentary to Article 63); Part 2 - participation in them; Part 3 - in calls for mass riots, violence against citizens and active disobedience to the legal demands of government officials.

4. Organizing mass riots (Part 1) involves activities to unite an indefinite circle of people in crowded places and direct their aggressive behavior (differentiating citizens by functional roles and coordinating their actions, etc.). The organization is considered terminated at the moment of the outbreak of mass unrest, accompanied by the following actions.

4.1. Use of violence (see commentary to Article 127.1).

4.2. Destruction of property (see commentary to Article 142), including arson (deliberate destruction or damage to someone else’s property using fire) and pogroms (deliberate destruction or damage to someone else’s property using human muscle power or using objects for any purpose, including including technology). Additional qualifications under Art. 167 is not required.

4.3. Application, i.e. use in accordance with the design purpose of firearms (devices and objects structurally intended for mechanical destruction of a living target at a distance with a projectile receiving directed movement due to the energy of a powder charge), explosives or explosive devices (see commentary to Article 63).

4.4. Providing armed resistance to a representative of the authorities, i.e. obstructing a representative of the government from exercising his functions by using any type of weapon. The use of violence dangerous to life and health requires additional qualifications in combination (Article 212 and Article 318).

5. Participation in mass riots (Part 2) presupposes the coordinated commission of the listed actions as part of an indefinite circle of persons. Participation is considered completed at the moment of performing at least one of the specified actions. Passively being in a crowd performing these actions excludes the MA.

6. Calls for active disobedience to the legal demands of government officials, mass unrest and violence against citizens (Part 3) involve appealing to an indefinite circle of people to exert an appropriate influence on their consciousness, will and emotions. The form of address does not matter for qualifications (oral, written, including in combination with visual, using technical and other means of communication, through the media). Appeals are considered completed from the moment the relevant information is communicated to citizens, regardless of the consequences.

7. The subjective side of the crime is characterized by guilt in the form of direct intent. Motives do not matter for qualifications (personal, nationalistic, political, hooligan, etc.). Seizure of property during mass riots, committed for mercenary purposes and causing material damage to the owner, entails classification in combination with crimes against property.

8. The subject of a criminal offense is a sane person who has reached the age of 16 at the time of the commission of the crime.

9. The crime provided for in parts 1, 2 is classified as grave, and part 3 is classified as moderate.

Participation

Participation in riots is punishable by criminal liability.

Thus, participation itself involves causing property and physical harm to citizens, which cannot go unnoticed.

It is also worth noting that participation in various riots involves the use of weapons, which is simply impossible in the modern world to maintain democracy.

That is why this crime is strictly punished from the point of view of the law.

INTRODUCTION

Relevance of the research topic. The difficult socio-economic and political situation in the country, the collapse of ideological bonds have led to the emergence of hotbeds of tension and conflict in society on the basis of differences in economic, national, religious, political and other interests. It is enough to cite as an example the conflict in the Chechen Republic, which has not subsided for two decades, and is of a criminal-terrorist nature, and to recall the entire North Caucasus, infected with an epidemic of interethnic conflicts.

The difficult situation currently emerging in the country leaves a certain imprint on the state of the fight against crime in general, and with its individual types in particular. To a certain extent, this also applies to mass riots. The fact is that during the period of democratic transformations taking place in our society, mass phenomena become popular, including holding various rallies, processions, demonstrations, protests, etc. Under these conditions, negative phenomena of a mass nature also become widespread, which primarily include mass riots.

Despite the relatively rare cases of mass riots in our country, the social danger of this crime is very great: as a result of the actions of an uncontrollable mass (crowd) of people, a tense situation is created in a certain region (district, region), property is destroyed and damaged, and a threat to life is created and the health of citizens, the activities of government and management bodies are disorganized.

Suffice it to recall the pogroms staged by young extremists in October 2001 in the south of Moscow near the Tsaritsyno metro station, the bloody events in Kondopoga in 2006, or the riots involving radical youth on December 11, 2010 on Manezhnaya Square in Moscow, as well as recently (May 15, 2011) mass riots of football fans at the Metallurg stadium in Samara during the match between Moscow Spartak and Krylya Sovetov, 150 riot police officers took part in pacifying them, used tear gas, 121 were detained fans of Spartak, more than half a million rubles were damaged to the stadium.

The main factor determining the state and trends of mass unrest is their politicization, associated with attempts by various extremist circles to use mass unrest in the struggle for power.

It is also important to note that in the conditions of the Russian Federation, national problems are among the most acute and painful, posing today a real threat to the radical transformations being carried out in it. An analysis of extreme situations caused by interethnic conflicts suggests that this factor of mass unrest is unlikely to be overcome in the near future; on the contrary, there are sufficient grounds to predict a further deterioration of the situation.

It is more obvious that, taking into account the increasing intensity of social development, we should expect a further escalation of crimes such as mass riots, and predict their increasing scale, organization, and severity of consequences.

Thus, the high social danger of this crime, the predicted unfavorable upward trend of mass unrest, as well as innovations in criminal legislation, determine the importance and relevance of the chosen research topic.

The main goal of the study is to conduct a criminal legal analysis of mass riots, the problem of qualification and responsibility.

The object of the study is mass riots, criminal legal and criminological problems, criminal liability for their commission, socio-psychological and other factors influencing the law enforcement activities of law enforcement agencies, incl. internal affairs bodies in the field of combating riots.

The subject of the study is its immediate elements: problems of criminal legal assessment of mass riots, criminological problems of mass riots, criminal legal analysis, law enforcement activities (practice) of law enforcement agencies in the fight against mass riots and the effectiveness of combating them.

Calls for widespread disobedience to legal requirements

State power reflects the law as a whole.

The call to not pay attention to the current government manifests itself as nothing more than anarchy in itself.

This means that such actions inevitably entail disorientation of society, a shift in its interests, as well as the inevitable destruction of social foundations at the root.

Thus, such incitement is also a serious crime.

Criminal legal characteristics

The criminal legal characteristic of this crime is the unconditional manifestation of force.

This means that citizens are in danger .

That is why the legislator draws attention to the hotbed of the problem of citizen discontent and recommends that government officials direct all their efforts to extinguish it.

Thus, we can say that submission to the crowd occurs with the subsequent construction of dialogue on equal terms and grounds.

Corpus delicti

The object of the phenomenon we are considering is inviolable public safety, which is grossly violated by such actions.

The objective side of the crime can be called all actions, or in some cases inaction, that are aimed at such an act, namely inciting riots and their planning, which is also very important.

The subjective side is the motive. The motive, as a rule, can be expressed in different ways.

This may be a desire to be heard by government agencies, dissatisfaction of citizens, or an attempt to change power and regime.

The subjects of these crimes are persons who have reached the age of 16 years and are also completely sane.

Mass riots (Article 212): concept, composition and qualified types

The object of mass riots is public order. Despite the fact that the legislator uses the concepts of public safety and public order as equivalent in the title of Section IX of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In the scientific literature, there are different opinions regarding their relationship: some authors believe that public order includes public safety, others, on the contrary, believe that public safety is broader than public order, and still others delimit these spheres. In our opinion, with the existing structure of the criminal law, it is possible to assume the existence of public order as an independent type of object of criminal legal protection.

An additional object of these acts is either people’s health, or someone else’s property, or management procedures.

The objective side is now expressed in three forms of action, arranged in the article in order of decreasing degree of public danger: organizing mass riots (Part 1), participating in them (Part 2), calls for active disobedience to the legal demands of government officials and for mass riots, and as well as calls for violence against citizens (Part 3).

Part 1 art. 212 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the organization of mass riots only covers the management of the actions of a riotous crowd, because responsibility for calls for participation in it is provided for in Part 3 of Art. 212 CC. In addition, the range of actions that accompany mass riots is specified - violence, pogroms, arson, destruction of property, the use of firearms, explosives or explosive devices, armed resistance to a representative of the authorities (Diagram 1).

Violence should be understood as beatings, torture, infliction of minor and moderate harm to health, as well as other violent actions associated with infliction of physical pain or restriction of freedom, if they did not create a danger to life and health. Causing serious harm to health and death during mass riots is qualified according to the rules of aggregation of criminal acts under Art. Art. 111 or 105 of the Criminal Code. It seems that mental violence cannot be attributed to this concept, since it will not correspond to other actions that accompany mass riots.

Pogroms mean damage or seizure of property, its desecration or disorder, committed by members of the crowd.

Arson refers to the actions of riot participants to cause fire as an uncontrolled process of burning of certain life support objects, houses, cars and other valuables.

The use of firearms, explosives or explosive devices means not only their use to cause harm to health, destruction of property, arson and pogroms, but also the threat of actual use. In case of illegal handling of firearms, explosives and explosive devices, the actions of the perpetrators are also qualified under Art. 222UK.

Providing armed resistance to a representative of the authorities is understood as physical or mental resistance of a participant (participants) in mass riots to a representative of a state authority or local government through the actual use of firearms or bladed weapons, ammunition (grenades), explosive devices or by uttering threats to use them in order to prevent the cessation of riots. If, as a result of armed resistance to a representative of the authorities, any harm to health is caused, the act of the participants and the organizer should be qualified according to the totality of the relevant part of Art. 212 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and Part 2 of Art. 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Use of violence against a representative of the authorities.”

From the subjective side, the crime in question is characterized by guilt in the form of direct intent. The motives for organizing mass riots may be revenge against officials of state authorities or local self-government for any actions or decisions, as well as political, religious or nationalist (separatist) motives, etc.

The purpose of organizing mass riots may be to force state authorities or local self-government to satisfy any demands of the organizers (leaders) of such riots, undermine the authority of the authorities, increase the prestige of the organizers of the riots in the eyes of the population, etc.

Any sane person who has reached the age of 16 can be a subject of the organization of mass riots (Part 1 of Article 212)

An additional object of these acts is either people’s health, or someone else’s property, or management procedures.

Pogroms mean damage or seizure of property, its desecration or disorder, committed by members of the crowd.

Arson refers to the actions of riot participants to cause fire as an uncontrolled process of burning of certain life support objects, houses, cars and other valuables.

Any sane person who has reached the age of 16 can be a subject of the organization of mass riots (Part 1 of Article 212)

Qualifying features

The qualifying feature is that the person has undergone so-called training, which is aimed specifically at preparing the relevant specialists to carry out this crime.

That is, a person is prepared to commit mass riots, they are told about the intricacies of this act.

The offenders for this crime are the teacher and the student.

Also, distributors of weapons, especially firearms, are also a qualifying feature and are subject to immediate criminal liability.

Distinction from related crimes

Mass riots are similar to some other types of crimes, which is why it is immediately necessary to distinguish them from each other.

From hooliganism

What is the difference between mass riots and group hooliganism?

Group hooliganism also encroaches on public relations, but most often on property ones. Hooliganism does not imply anti-state calls and slogans.

This is precisely the main difference. Hooligans also do not use firearms in their attacks.

From vandalism

Vandalism is damage to architectural monuments and other valuables.

But it is worth saying that even a child can distinguish this composition from mass riots.

Vandalism does not involve a crowd, but is committed either individually or in small groups.

This is what makes these crimes different from each other.

Types of riots, causes

* rapid emotional decline: after achieving a goal or defeat, there is a change in behavior and assessment of what is happening, etc.

The process of development of mass unrest includes three stages.

1. Complication of the situation. This stage precedes mass antisocial behavior. It is characterized by the emergence of social tension, the accumulation of discontent, i.e., negative mass sentiments, which act as “combustible” material that can aggravate the situation for the slightest reason. Its emergence is preceded by such crisis phenomena as a sharp increase in the tendency towards differentiation (demarcation) of the population into rich and poor with the underdevelopment of the middle class and the aggravation of contradictions between them; the emergence of alarming information, rumors, unhealthy opinions and moods, dissatisfaction with the actions of government officials, a decrease in living standards due to a decline in production, inflation, rising prices, etc.; weakening the authority of the authorities; consolidation (rally) of the opposition and the emergence of a leader who enjoys authority among the bulk of the population. Dissatisfaction is not always justified. However, if it reaches a critical point and is exacerbated by a sense of injustice, it can cause mass mayhem.

2. The emergence of a reason for mass riots and their implementation. At this stage, mass riots have their immediate beginning: a formal reason appears, which is used by their instigators as a detonator. Such an occasion is often an event that can justify the participants in excesses, give their actions a “fair” character and allow large masses of people to be drawn into these events. A distinctive feature of mass riots is that, once they begin, they become independent of the causes that gave rise to them and can continue even when those causes have already been exhausted. During this period, they are characterized by: putting forward demands from a position of strength and at the same time their anonymity; suddenness and inevitability of actions; the emergence of conditions for changing the existing system of relations; creating obstacles to targeted actions by security forces; attracting public attention to events; formation of general and private (auxiliary) goals, sequence of actions for their implementation (seizures, arson, pogroms, murders, etc.); involving large masses of people in events through threats, rumors, suggestion, etc.; creating the image of a “common enemy”; development of action tactics; actions performed in a state of passion, as a consequence of the manifestation of a compensatory reaction (displacement of accumulated tension); participation in group excesses of a significant number of risk-prone people.

3. The situation after the riots. This stage is characterized by a situation after their elimination, which does not immediately become normal. The situation can become complicated at any time under the influence of rumors and dissatisfaction with the results of events. It is also necessary to remember that people’s psychological reactions to mass unrest vary - from a depressive state to a mobilization state, so there is every reason to fear their resumption. This is evidenced by social practice. Thus, after the State Emergency Committee, a state of social tension, accompanied by mass unrest and various kinds of excesses of varying degrees of intensity (for example, the collapse of the USSR, the events of the autumn of 1993 in Moscow, the criminalization of society, etc.), plagued our country until the mid-1990s [ 17, pp.88-91].

Thus, mass riots are an extremely dangerous social phenomenon, which is based on the actualization of negative mass sentiments of the crowd. Without a doubt there is a very direct connection between crowd behavior and public safety. Therefore, today, when its level is not yet high enough, it is important for every person not only to know the rules of behavior in a crowd and the basic methods of protection in conditions of mass unrest, but also to be able to apply them in practice if necessary.

2.2 Rules of behavior in crowds and methods of protection

Currently, social emergencies that can cause mass unrest occur quite often. An important role in their settlement belongs to specialists in the field of social security. They must have socio-psychological competence and be able to provide real help to people.

Indicators of the professional competence of these specialists include the ability to competently negotiate with participants in mass actions, address the crowd, ensure the conduct of special counter-propaganda events in the context of protests, unauthorized rallies, demonstrations, prevent panic and destructive actions during natural disasters, catastrophes, fires, terrorist attacks, mass riots. Of great importance is knowledge of the rules of behavior in a crowd, which is the driving force behind mass riots, as well as ways to protect people from their negative impact.

The danger of being crushed in a crowd is more than real. The crowd lives according to its own animal laws. She knows no pity, and it is impossible to negotiate with her. According to psychologists, the aggressiveness of a crowd depends primarily on the degree of its density. The more people accumulate in one place, the more the personal space of an individual is violated, who begins to experience psychological discomfort, sometimes without even realizing it. Gradually, discomfort develops into strong emotional stress. It is passed on to neighbors. People in the same position and close proximity behave in the same way. They involuntarily repeat each other’s movements, gestures, and intonations. By moving in the crowd and shouting various slogans, a person relieves psychological stress. Practice shows that in any crowd there will definitely be several people who like to be seen. They attract attention to themselves in all possible ways: they actively move, shout, wave their arms, etc. The presence of 1-1.5% of such “demonstrators” is enough for the crowd to “explode.”

A crowd is created by a common mood when everyone has the same emotion or thought. The unifying principle can be completely different - joy, grief, hatred, admiration, fear, panic or the instinct of self-preservation. For example, at the end of the 19th century. Muscovites were so eager to see the coronation of Nicholas II that they crushed 1,389 people. Several hundred people died at Stalin's funeral in 1953. In Europe alone, in 1999, more than 70 people were crushed at various rock concerts, and several hundred spectators were seriously injured. Sports passion is extremely dangerous. In 1982, during the Spartak-Haarlem game at the Luzhniki Stadium, the crowd trampled over 60 fans.

A special place in the list of destructive emotions is occupied by fear and the instinct of self-preservation. For example, in 1999 in Minsk, people were so afraid of a strong thunderstorm and downpour that 52 people trying to take refuge in the metro were trampled. And in February 2003, a deadly stampede occurred in one of the nightclubs in Chicago. A visitor, seeing a stream of smoke, shouted that it was a terrorist attack. Saving their lives, people rushed to the doors in panic. The result was the death of 21 people.

To survive in an aggressive crowd, you need to notice the danger in time. This is quite easy to do if you are able to identify the distinctive signs of an explosive crowd. Let's call these signs:

* identical, carbon-copy gestures and movements for most people;

* moving people from the center to the edges of the crowd and vice versa if the crowd as a whole is standing;

* presence of a leader or speaker [20, p.52].

Following certain rules of behavior in a crowd will help you survive in an extreme situation:[42]

* one must not succumb to general psychosis and strive to escape at any cost. In order not to become a pawn in the crowd, you need to turn off your emotions and rely on reason - analyzing the situation will help you find the most promising ways of salvation;

* you should not blindly obey the opinion of the crowd, no matter how true it may seem - you need to make your own decision based on the specific situation;

* it is not recommended to express or in any way demonstrate your disagreement with the opinions and actions of the crowd, since it destroys dissenters and those who act differently. Do not express, do not defend your opinion, do not engage in discussion in the crowd, focus on action, it is more important than words.

Violent mass moods and feelings (joy, hatred, fear, etc.), as noted earlier, are very contagious, so it is necessary to resist mass psychosis. You cannot take for granted the rumors that are circulating in the crowd. It’s useful to look at yourself from the outside: self-criticism, irony and shame are good brakes on incipient hysteria.

You can use auto-training techniques: deep breathing, contemplation of stationary objects, talking to yourself, etc. Self-sobering techniques such as biting your lips, strongly pinching yourself on the arm, hitting the cheek or inflicting any other pain help well.

In a situation of mass psychosis, one should focus on loved ones who need to be protected, which is only possible if the situation and one’s own mental state are completely controlled. The fact is that, as experience shows, under the influence of a crowd, social ties are destroyed, people stop caring about their family and friends, and sometimes simply do not notice them. The man of the crowd becomes the enemy of his loved ones. There are known cases when, in an attack of panic or hysteria associated with a demonstration of fanatical devotion to the leaders of the crowd (leaders of the pack), mothers forgot that their children were with them, and thereby doomed them to death.

Not succumbing to the negative influence of the crowd means half winning the battle for survival, since physical actions directly aimed at salvation are secondary in conditions of mass psychosis. If the consciousness is protected, it will teach the body how to get out of trouble alive and unharmed.

It must be remembered that the element of the crowd is the more destructive, the less educated its participants are. In modern Russian conditions, in the event of an emergency, one must be prepared to act not among intellectuals and well-educated citizens, but in a crowd of ordinary people, distraught with permissiveness and the consciousness of their impunity. Therefore, first of all, you need to take care of your physical protection.

Specific actions in situations involving mass riots and the inadequate mental states of the crowd caused by them are to follow the rules recommended by experts.

When planning a rally, you must first find out whether it is sanctioned by the authorities. If this event is prohibited, then it turns into an extreme situation. The following recommendations must be followed:

* do not take children with you;

* do not take sharp (piercing or cutting) objects with you;

* do not wear a tie or scarf, do without bags, folders, briefcases;

* shoes must be without laces and low heels;

* wear clothes made of strong fabric;

* it is advisable to remove various symbols from yourself;

* take with you a document proving your identity.

To implement a set of security measures, it is necessary to constantly predict the situation. It is advisable not to lose sight of crowd movement, especially around the edges and around stages and stands. It is necessary to know whether a procession or breakthrough is expected and in which direction, where the police are stationed, where the most dangerous areas are (glass windows, barriers, fences, bridges, etc.). The situation around you and your location must be taken into account. Proactive security measures must be taken before a threat occurs, taking into account its anticipated nature.

You should stay away from the police, as discontent and aggression of the crowd are often directed at them, including flying cobblestones, bottles, and sticks. Retaliatory actions by the police are no less dangerous. When suppressing riots, the police use quite harsh measures that can cause damage to your health (from psycho-emotional stress to traumatic injuries).

You should not approach aggressive groups. You should not try to get closer to the microphone or podium - it is much safer on the outskirts of meetings, here people are least susceptible to the “crowd effect” and the relationships between them are more reasonable.

You should not be near garbage containers, trash cans, cardboard boxes, baby strollers, suitcases, or abandoned bags; you should not step on bags or bags: it is unknown what is in them.

At a rally or demonstration, against your will, you may find yourself participating in a political crowd. To prevent this from happening, you need to know the techniques for manipulating public consciousness that are used most often:

* simplicity, populism of ideas, slogans, demands, solutions;

* psychological problems aimed at creating an atmosphere of community and unity - for example, chanting slogans. General singing, collective swaying, etc.;

* instilling confidence in imminent success, today's victory, and the fact of “victory” can be the organization of the meeting itself: “There are so many of us!”, “We have gathered no matter what!”;

* exaggeration of past victories, praising previous successes.

In a crowd subject to such manipulation techniques, the analytical functions of the psyche of individual individuals are almost completely switched off, and emotional assessment increases significantly: from blinding hatred of “strangers” (ideas, people) to almost tearful love for “ours.” Playing on the contrasts “strangers and ours” is especially typical for political leaders of national movements. The crowd is characterized by a sharp increase in suggestibility and a significant decrease in the ability to think independently. The crowd requires a leader or an object of hatred; it will enthusiastically both obey and destroy. Events such as the first stone in a shop window and first blood are important to the crowd. This takes the mob to a whole new level of danger, where collective irresponsibility turns each member into a ruthless criminal. You need to leave such a crowd immediately.

If the police, riot police have begun an operation to disperse the crowd, or a skirmish has occurred, and you happen to be nearby, do not lose control of yourself. Do not make sudden movements, do not shout, do not run - otherwise you may be mistaken for a trespasser or instigator of disorder. Demonstrate peace and calm with your entire appearance. If you are detained, do not immediately try to prove that it was done illegally, do not set law enforcement officers against you.

During the dispersal of the crowd, panic is possible, which could also begin due to a terrorist act. Do not rush headlong into this; if possible, soberly assess the situation and make the right decision. A pre-thought-out mental map of a demonstration or rally with possible escape routes will help you with this. Self-training techniques and a critical assessment of the events happening around you will help you maintain a sober mind and a clear head.

Punishment and responsibility

For committing this crime, liability is provided in the form of imprisonment.

In the case of such an act, there is no need to talk about fines and correctional labor.

This crime is classified as a serious crime, which means the punishment for its commission should be appropriate.

It must be remembered that when assigning punishment, the court takes into account that, as a rule, such crimes are not committed individually, which means that serious punishment was provided in criminal groups

What does this punishment mean?

As a rule, it manifests itself in the form of imprisonment for a term of 8 to 15 years , depending on the severity of the crime committed.

However, if the crime is aggravated by qualifying criteria, then the length of the term can be significantly increased.

What is the threat under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation?

Organizing mass riots under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and preparing for them will be punishable in 2022 by imprisonment for 8 to 15 years.

Any active involvement of someone in this behavior may result in one of the following types of liability:

Monetary sanction in the range of 300,000 - 700,000 rubles or corresponding to the income of the person being punished, from 2 to 4 years;
Forced labor between 2 and 5 years;
Imprisonment ranging from 5 to 10 years.

There may or may not be a fine for the last two forms of liability, as the judge decides.

Direct participation in illegal actions under this article is punishable by a sentence of 3-8 years.

Calls for riots and violence may be punished:

Restriction of freedom is maximum 2 years;
Forced labor or real prison time is also in the range of up to 2 years.

Participation in riot fighter training courses risks:

A real prison term in the time period of 5 - 10 years plus financial penalties of 500,000 rubles. or based on the criminal’s income for 3 years.

A person who has undergone training in atrocities has the right to withdraw from the case if he reports this fact to law enforcement officers and assists in the capture of the leaders.

Examples from judicial practice

There are often similar examples in judicial practice.

Example 1

One of the most striking occurred in the nineties, when, due to national hatred, representatives of Caucasian nationality and Russians clashed in mass riots.

All this happened on the streets of Moscow. A lot of damage was caused, and several dozen human lives were lost.

Example 2

The incident occurred in Khabarovsk.

Mass riots began due to citizens' dissatisfaction with the local government. As a result of the clash, people and numerous property that were in the way of the jubilant, uncontrollable crowd were also injured.

Both conflicts were suppressed through the forces of state coercion, but it is worth saying that these conflicts might not have happened if citizens had been aware of their actions and thought about the future.

Also, crime should not remain out of sight of the citizens of our country.

Causes and consequences

Possible negative results of this phenomenon:

Stopping the work of government agencies.
Violations of order on a colossal scale.
Disruption of social functioning.
Harm to the health of citizens, murder.
Significant economic damage to society, the state, and specific individuals.

Possible causes of riots:

Socio-economic (food shortages, inflation on a catastrophic scale, mass unemployment).
Political (arbitrariness on the part of the current government, violation of freedoms, dissatisfaction of the population with government policies).
Ethnic (discrimination against national minorities or the opposite phenomenon - an excessive number of representatives of non-indigenous and non-dominant nationalities in various areas of public life).
Religious (conflicts between different faiths).
Criminal (“wars” of criminal groups for spheres of influence).
Others (in particular, in recent years, acts of extremist groups, anti-globalist actions, and clashes between football “fans” have become very common).

Pass during quarantine	Payment and registration of sick leave during quarantine
Article 6.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses	Article for violating the self-isolation regime

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