The use of bayonets for crowd control involves the utilization or display of

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s by security forces to stop, disperse, or intimidate crowds of people. Their use in modern times is mainly for their psychological effect in calming an aggressive crowd or in preventing a crowd advancing along a certain route.

Application

In addition to its use in warfare, the bayonet has a long history as a weapon employed in the control of unruly crowds. Prior to the advent of

less-lethal weapons Non-lethal weapons, also called nonlethal weapons, less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-inducing weapons are weapons intended to be less likely to kill a living target than conventiona ...

, police and military forces called upon for

riot control Riot control is a form of public order policing used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to social control, control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful Demonstration (people), demonstration ...

were generally limited to firing live ammunition, or using bayonets or sabre charges. Massachusetts_Militia_vs_Strikers

In modern times, bayonets have generally been used for the psychological effect their display has in calming an aggressive crowd, or to corral mobs by making it impossible for them to advance down certain streets or avenues by blocking them with lines of police or soldiers holding rifle-fixed bayonets in the "on guard" (or, ''en garde'') position. Nonetheless, the utility of the bayonet for crowd control has been questioned.

Historical use by country

Burundi

According to reports of eyewitnesses and

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

, police in

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

used bayonets to control crowds during the aftermath of the failed

2015 Burundian coup d'état attempt On 13 May 2015, army general Godefroid Niyombare said that he was "dismissing President Pierre Nkurunziza" following the 2015 Burundian unrest. However, the presidency tweeted that the "situation is under control" and there is "no coup". Presid ...

China

According to some accounts, soldiers of the

27th Group Army The 27th Group Army was a military formation of the People's Republic of China's People's Liberation Army and one of three active group armies belonging to the Beijing Military Region between 1949 and 2017. It was based in Shijiazhuang, Hebei. By ...

aggressively used bayonets against protesters during the

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 The Tiananmen Square protests, known within China as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between t ...

South Korea

During the

Gwangju Uprising The Gwangju Democratization Movement, also known in South Korea as May 18 Democratization Movement (), was a series of student-led demonstrations that took place in Gwangju, South Korea, in May 1980, against the coup of Chun Doo-hwan. The upr ...

of 1980, some physicians alleged treating people injured by bayonets used by the

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the largest of the military branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces with 365,0 ...

United Kingdom

India

The

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

made extensive use of the bayonet in crowd control operations in the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

Ireland

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

during the 19th century, the Irish police used the bayonet charge as a method of forcing crowds to scatter; in July 1881 one person was killed by a police bayonet in this manner.

Hong Kong

The

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

continued its use of the bayonet as a crowd control weapon into the 20th century, using it during operations during the Hong Kong 1956 riots.

United States

The New York Draft Riots of 1863 saw the use of bayonet charges by the U.S. Army against unruly mobs in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. During lumber protests in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

in 1935, the

Washington National Guard The Washington National Guard is one of the four elements of the State of Washington's Washington Military Department and a component of the National Guard of the United States. It is headquartered at Camp Murray, Washington and is defined by ...

advanced on picketers with fixed bayonets, causing them to move away from the Federal Building where they had gathered. During 1968 revisions to the

United States Army Field Manuals United States Army Field Manuals are published by the United States Army's Army Publishing Directorate. They contain detailed information and how-tos for procedures important to soldiers serving in the field. As of July 2007, some 542 field manu ...

there was a move by the

United States Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

to eliminate the description of the bayonet as a crowd control weapon; however, senior Army leadership resisted the change. A study conducted that year by the

Human Resources Research Organization The Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) is an applied research company founded in Alexandria, Virginia.

concluded that the bayonet "is highly valuable as a riot control weapon" with a survey of personnel involved in military peacekeeping operations reporting its most valuable attribute was its psychological effect on a crowd. A compromise was ultimately reached whereby use of the bayonet was permitted in cases of violent mobs but not in routine civil operations. Two years later, in the protests that led to the

Kent State shootings The Kent State shootings (also known as the Kent State massacre or May 4 massacre"These would be the first of many probes into what soon became known as the Kent State Massacre. Like the Boston Massacre almost exactly two hundred years before (Ma ...

of 1970, two persons were injured after being bayoneted by soldiers of the

Ohio National Guard The Ohio National Guard comprises the Ohio Army National Guard and the Ohio Air National Guard. The commander-in-chief of the Ohio Army National Guard is the List of governors of Ohio, governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army Nation ...

. The 2004 edition of the U.S. Army's ''Field Manual 19-15: Civil Disturbances'' calls for troops operating in crowd control situations against violent mobs to form into multiple lines with the first line armed with batons, and the second line armed with rifle-fixed bayonets held in the "safe-port position". According to the manual, "in this elevated position, bayonets can be seen by participants in the rear of the crowd. The sight of bayonets can create an impression of strength and numerical superiority".

References

{{reflist, 3 * Riot control weapons Riot control equipment Crowd control