Crowds baying for the blood of child killers and the dispensing of a swift form of street justice on a suspected thief have been in the news recently.

What makes a crowd gather and what turns a peaceful protest march into a violent mob? Health24 investigated.

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Common outrage draws crowds
Crowds, and especially those involved in recent instances of mob violence, tend to gather for a well-defined social or political reason. These could include anger with regards to a child killing, a theft or a perceived social or political injustice, to name but a few.

“Crowds are formed in the context of common anger and concerns around issues regarding the physical, emotional, psychological/mental wellbeing of residents, especially children, in communities,” according to Haseena Parker of the Trauma Centre in Cape Town.

Such social gatherings already have a social charge, and cannot be divorced from the social context in which they occur.

Disempowerment angers
“Groups often develop extreme responses due to their lack of faith in the police, justice and correctional services,” according to Parker. “Their reactions are further provoked when they feel their anger and concerns/grievances are not contained in a positive and humane manner by the authorities.”

They are often treated by authorities as a hindrance, rather than that their acts of lobbying against practices of human rights violations are supportively welcomed, says Parker.

For this reason, it is extremely important for authorities to show good judgement in their handling of an angry crowd. In certain situations, a hard-handed approach may well be exactly the kind of trigger that can result in a riot.

“Some groups/crowds/mobs have the sort of powerful group dynamics that can sometimes unfortunately get caught up with influences that provoke violent reactions,” according to Parker.

It is also possible that certain elements in a crowd may want the situation to erupt, and that people who would otherwise avoid violence, could lose their judgement and get on the bandwagon.

When things calm down
“After the event individuals are often left feeling angrier at being treated with disregard by the authorities, while some individuals could end up feeling guilty or ashamed of their violent reactions,” says Parker.

They also argue that, “in the context of human rights violations and atrocities against children, people share common feelings of despair, mistrust, lack of safety and lack of faith in the police. This could therefore explain why such incidents are occurring more frequently. The role of the media could also be influential in this regard. – (Health24)

Source: The Trauma Centre

March 2007
 

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