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

bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

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 conventional ...

, police and military forces called upon for

riot control Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irration ...

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, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

, police in

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

used bayonets to control crowds during the aftermath of the failed 2015 Burundian coup d'état attempt. Vietnam-War-US-Military-Bayonets (cropped)

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. ...

aggressively used bayonets against protesters during the

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...

South Korea

During the

Gwangju Uprising The Gwangju Uprising was a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju, South Korea, from May 18 to May 27, 1980, which pitted local, armed citizens against soldiers and police of the South Korean government. The event is sometimes called 5·18 (Ma ...

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

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...

United Kingdom

India

The

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

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

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

Ireland

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

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 land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

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 The 1956 Hong Kong riots, also known as the Double Ten riots ( zh, t=雙十暴動), were the result of escalating provocations between the pro-Kuomintang and pro-CCP camps on Double Ten Day, 10 October 1956.HKheadline.com.HKheadline.com" ''� ...

United States

The

New York Draft Riots The New York City draft riots (July 13–16, 1863), sometimes referred to as the Manhattan draft riots and known at the time as Draft Week, were violent disturbances in Lower Manhattan, widely regarded as the culmination of white working-cl ...

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 or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. 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, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

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 its ...

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. As of 27 July 2007, some 542 field manuals were in use. They contain detailed information and how-tos for procedures important to soldiers ser ...

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 May 4 massacre and the Kent State 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 bef ...

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 governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army National Guard is called to fede ...

. 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 Bayonets Riot control weapons Riot control equipment Crowd control