The epidemic of collective violence, a manifestation of disorder and complexity

Abstract

While organised crime, terrorism and now war are the focus of academic and political attention, the riotous violence of informal groups and gatherings of people who simply rise up in protest against social injustice receive only occasional attention, even though they are a recurring phenomenon. Usually dealt with on the spot by the public authorities, the security forces and the justice system, these epidemics of collective violence are a fascinating subject of study, whose clarity and simple mechanisms contrast with the seriousness of their social and financial costs. In this presentation, the author illustrates the banality of the phenomenon and analyses the kinetics of this type of disorder before showing the difficulty of taking it into account in law, drawing on his personal experience as a police officer and legal expert.