Riots were a form of civil disorder characterized by mass vandalism, violence, or other crime. They generally occurred as a culmination of some sort of popular grievance or dissent, usually dealing with poor living conditions, oppression, taxation, conflicts between species, races or religions, et cetera.
Such law enforcement organizations as the Coruscant Security Force, Coruscant Guard, Scout Soldiers, or the Corporate Sector Authority's Security Police were used to suppress rioters. They used a variety of non-lethal weapons and equipment, including the energy baton, the R-88 Suppressor riot rifle, the Taser stave, the Strikebreaker Riot Control Vehicle, and rolo-droids.
- Rampant unemployment as a result of the Mandalorian Wars caused angry citizens to begin rioting all over Taris, setting entire sections of skyline on fire.
- When the Republic attempted to quarantine Rori because of a Brainworm Rot outbreak, rioters razed the hospital and detainment center at Narmlé.
- Political animosity between GeneralVaklu and QueenTalia supporters on Onderon led to the outbreak of many riots.
- Several Coruscant riots during the Great Galactic War and Cold War:
- Months of riots on Kabal that resulted in the deaths of four Jedi were caused by a food shortage.
- On Oovo IV, Jango Fett and Zam Wesell attempted to retrieve Bendix Fust in the midst of a prisoner riot.
- The Prospector's Riot occurred when estranged buyers attacked the crew of the Lucky Despot for faulty M-HYD droids.
- The Tertiary Ingo Riots occurred on the harsh world of Ingo, presumably as a result of adverse conditions on the planet.
- Enslaved Yuzzem on Ragna III were known to riot frequently against their Imperial subjugators.
- MoffJander Graffe instigated alien riots in the Darpa sector in order to provide cover for a new "security tax."
- A series of gang-rivalry riots broke out on Lenthalis shortly before the Battle of Hoth.
- Following the Rebel Alliance's victory at the Battle of Endor and the death of EmperorPalpatine and Darth Vader, riots and uprisings took place on a multitude of Imperial-held worlds, as the news spread across the galaxy.
- Drend Navett committed several acts of sabotage and instigated riots on several planets, among them a riot on Dordolum.
- During the Caamas Document Crisis, Bothawui was the subject of many anti-Bothan riots.
- Human League marches characteristically turned into riots.
- The Loronar Corporation had a reputation of corruption, including initiating riots on Ampliquen.
- The First Corellian Insurrection was marked by a number of riots.
- The internment of Corellians on Coruscant spurned a number of riots during the Second Galactic Civil War
- Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook
- The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural