Shields up, batons over right shoulder, we advance. Just 15 meters ahead of us the protesters are starting to marshal. They are fuzzy when viewed through our face shields and the slightly opaque riot shields. But we can hear them just fine; they are loud. And angry. They are also throwing things. It seems they have realized our feet are vulnerable as we raise our shields to advance. Then the first rush comes. My friend on the right is the main focus. He braces hard against his shield and the first protester rebounds off of him, but the second manages to grab his shield. The shields are locked into our left arms fairly well, but using the natural leverage of the long shield they can be twisted off if rotated away from the wearer. By accident or design, this protester is about to achieve that. In a desire to assist I open my shield to bring my baton to bear on the protester.
It is a mistake. In my haste to help I miss the follow-on rush. As I attempt to swing my baton, a man in the rush grabs my arm. His momentum stops and reverses my swing. As is common in these moments, time slows down. I instantaneously process four thoughts:
“I’m in trouble.”
“Did he just pull my arm out of its socket?”
“Oh no, here comes another one!”
“Fight back!”
With my right arm back and body exposed, a second protester drops a shoulder and hits me like an NFL tackle. Except I do not drop, I grab onto him for dear life as he pushes me into the deepening hole in our shield wall. Desperate, I begin punching at his head and anything I can reach to win this fight. Right then a furious Colour Sergeant rips us apart.
This is not Minneapolis, Denver, or any of the other American cities from the last few weeks. It is a fake town in the middle of a British Army base. The “protesters” are from our sister company. I probably had a beer with the guy who nearly dislocated my arm before we left for the exercise. The Colour Sergeant is one of our instructors and was furious because both of us were breaking the rules.
This whole experience was brand new to me. I was in England as an exchange officer, training alongside the British Army. The US Army does not spend any time teaching riot training. But in the British Army things are different, their experiences in Northern Ireland taught them that soldiers have to understand the basics of functioning in a protest that could escalate quickly. In a few days, our roles would flip and I would be a rioter hurling myself into the shield wall I had recently been manning.
As I watch current events, I cannot help but reflect on what I experienced in my few days on both sides of the wall. Reflections that seem worth sharing. But first, a few disclaimers: One is that while these clashes were designed to be aggressive nobody was going to get seriously hurt. Broken noses, bruises, and serious sprains happened, but we knew no one risked death. When acting as the riot squad we had no access to projectiles or tear gas. A few members carried baton guns but they were loaded with blanks. The rioters were told to fall back when these went off to replicate their effects. It must be acknowledged that the lack of tear gas, less-than-lethal ammunition, and real batons leveled the field for the protesters but I believe the general trends discussed hold true. Finally, I do not intend to make an argument for either group, rather I hope that my reflections may help the reader to form their own thoughts. So, without further ado, here are four things I took away from my training:
- An us-vs-them mentality develops quickly
Individual identities on both sides tend to dissolve as soon as the two sides come into contact. The shields create a demarcation line between the groups. As a protester, all you see is a group of automatons. The uniforms and protective equipment strip away the person. Behind each face shield is a human with a story and loved ones, but looking in from beyond the shields it is easy to view them as machines.
From behind the shield wall, it is hard to lose sight of the fact that there are humans just ahead of you. But your mind begins to cancel out their individual humanity. When faced with hundreds of chanting faces you can no longer categorize individuals into your friend or foe boxes. It does not matter if 10 or zero people in the group have violent intentions, to your brain they all look angry. Unable to process the amount of information before it, the mind tends to play it safe and categorize the entire mass as a possible threat. And when faced with such a threat, one takes deep comfort in the presence of those to the left and right. This effect is doubly true if seriously outnumbered. Collectively done, this creates an us-vs-them mentality that set the conditions for a serious clash.
2. The red mist effect snowballs rapidly between groups
This training was designed to escalate linearly. Initially, the protesters were peaceful but vocal. Gradually they increased from words to actions. Throwing things came first. As the riot squad, you simply stand there and absorb these blows. Between the shield, helmet, and body armor it is unnerving and unpleasant but easily withstood. Then the first “aggressive” protester is released, and the dam breaks.
Even though we were all friends and in a controlled environment, that us-vs-them mentality took over. As both sides became more agitated, the aggression of individual members created a vicious circle that rapidly got out of hand as one violent act begot another. Things would continue devolving until the instructors stepped in. Invariably, it would happen again a few minutes later. Maybe this time a riot squad member swung for someone's head, infuriating the protesters who saw the act. Maybe a group of protesters managed to wrestle a riot squad member to the ground resulting in a heavy counter-reaction. Probably both sides did something. Or possibly it was neither. But it always devolved into a general melee.
3. There are always two views on the story
Eventually, we would all discuss the training. Both groups would contend that the other was in the wrong no matter what role they were in. The riot squads always thought the protesters had escalated the situation and the protesters thought it was the riot squads. Between the divided groups and swirling events, it was easy for both sides to feel convinced they had acted appropriately. Occasionally the instructors had a judgment, but often they were too busy being attacked by both sides to be able to make a call.
4. There is a worst-case scenario
Towards the end of each riot lane, there was an active shooter drill. This was the single worst thing that could happen on all sides. Although everyone knew it would occur, when it would was a mystery. And when it did, everything changed. Even though they were firing blanks I can extrapolate some feelings that may occur in a real situation. From the riot squad’s perspective there is real terror, the terror that only comes from helplessness. All you can do is hide and hope your own armed members can counter the threat. From the protester’s perspective, it is both terror and a loss of purpose. You know things have changed. That riot force that you felt you could have an effect on is gone. You can no longer make your point. Suddenly there are assault rifles out and they are scanning for targets. A target that could include you. It is time to flee.
Stay safe.
