What is the Riot Act, and why should I care if it’s read to me?

In 2011, NBC published a guide on how managers could "read the riot act" to their subordinates. Professional footballer Stéphane Mahé was once "read the riot act" after delivering a foul so severe to an opposing player that it required four stitches. In Bibb County, Georgia, a Superior Court Judge "read the riot act" to a group of troubled teens in an attempt to address their behavior.

The phrase, which has been in use for hundreds of years, is generally understood to refer to the reprimanding of someone who has made a poor decision. However, the actual origin of the term "riot act" refers to a very specific crime—an unlawful public gathering that 18th-century peace officers sought to disperse with a formal warning that serious consequences would follow. Like death.

Atlas Obscura reports that the Riot Act was first passed by the British Parliament in 1714 and came into effect on August 1, 1715. Essentially, the Act functioned as what linguists call a speech act: a word, phrase, or order with real authority. (Imagine a wedding officiant pronouncing a couple as husband and wife.) If faced with a disruptive crowd, an authority figure would arrive and—this was key—read the Act aloud to give formal notice that the crowd was violating the law.

The Act was hurriedly passed after supporters of the Catholic Jacobite political movement began expressing their dissatisfaction with King George I. A "riot" was defined as any gathering of 12 or more individuals causing public unrest. Usually, these noisy crowds were given one hour to disperse. If they failed to comply, their consequences would include imprisonment, forced labor, or death. If the officer in charge sensed imminent danger, they could immediately deputize citizens to help break up the gathering.

To carry out the Act and impose punishments, the officer was required to emphasize the reading by shouting, "God save the King!"

Historians have debated how effective such public reprimands were in addressing a large crowd of angry protesters. In 1768, it was clear: not very. When protestors opposing the imprisonment of radical John Wilkes ignored the Riot Act, they were met with musket fire, resulting in seven deaths.

The Riot Act was formally repealed in England and Wales in 1967 as part of broader legislative reforms. Today, the term is mostly used figuratively, though Belize still officially considers it a valid means of dispersing crowds. In 2017, police faced backlash for deploying tear gas during a People's United Party protest without first reading the Riot Act to the crowd.

When asked by a reporter, assistant commissioner of police Edward Broaster explained that the incident didn't "reach the threshold" necessary to justify bringing out the paperwork.