... were generally unheard of when dealing with other criminal activity. History has often been riddled with numerous protests, ranging from the Clunes riot in 1873 up till today with anti-war protests against the war in Iraq. Protest and riots traditionally been seen as a means in which the politically unrepresented masses communicated grievances to the ruling elite: "collective bargaining by riot" (Reiner 1998). The police in the case of policing public disorder are often in a dilemma as protesters, pickets and possibly even rioters may be considered the moral equal of other citizens (Waddington 2000). In addition, protesters are also viewed in a less harsh light, sometimes they are even hailed as heroes, since they are commonly seen to be fighting for the common good of the people "...what distinguishes them is that protest is a conspicuous act of citizenship...pickets, protesters, rioters do not serve purposes that are selfishly malign, ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now