Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A crowd control technique, used by police, where a hostile group of protesters or rioters are surrounded and not allowed to disperse, sometimes with the use of temporary fencing to corral and isolate portions of the group.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Present participle of kettle.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word kettling.

Examples

  • Clearly, the whole idea behind kettling is to get people really, really annoyed.

    Plod « We Don't Count Your Own Visits To Your Blog 2009

  • The phrase kettling is a translation from the german word used to describe the police tactic in the 60's known as the Hamburger Kessel.

    The Lede 2009

  • Since London and New York share so much, it will probably come as no surprise to Britons that "kettling" -- the police practice of cordoning off city blocks at both ends and containing protesters for hours before arresting them for all intents and purposes -- had its US debut five years ago during the 2004 Republican National Convention.

    Charles Shaw: "Kettling": Another "Special Relationship" Between the US and UK 2009

  • Since London and New York share so much, it will probably come as no surprise to Britons that "kettling" -- the police practice of cordoning off city blocks at both ends and containing prote ...

    Charles Shaw: "Kettling": Another "Special Relationship" Between the US and UK 2009

  • Since London and New York share so much, it will probably come as no surprise to Britons that "kettling" -- the police practice of cordoning off city blocks at both ends and containing prote ...

    Charles Shaw: "Kettling": Another "Special Relationship" Between the US and UK 2009

  • That doesn't mean you'll need to bring a note from your mum, but bear it in mind, especially given the possibility of more "kettling" - lite or otherwise.

    The Guardian World News 2010

  • On 1 May 2001, the Metropolitan Police had their first bash at "kettling" - it means containing a crowd's furies, like a kettle contains boiling water, or something - when they penned thousands of people into Oxford Circus and an area next to Euston Station, for up to eight hours, sans public conveniences.

    The Guardian World News 2010

  • On 1 May 2001, the Metropolitan Police had their first bash at "kettling" - it means containing a crowd's furies, like a kettle contains boiling water, or something - when they penned thousands of people into Oxford Circus and an area next to Euston Station, for up to eight hours, sans public conveniences.

    The Guardian World News John Harris 2010

  • For instance, the tactic of "kettling" - forcing demonstrators against their will into a confined area, which we saw at the G20 demonstrations

    Blogposts | guardian.co.uk Henry Porter 2010

  • That doesn't mean you'll need to bring a note from your mum, but bear it in mind, especially given the possibility of more "kettling" - lite or otherwise.

    The Guardian World News John Harris 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Waddington helped to develop "kettling," where police enclose protesters in a confined space, a tactic that replaced the use of horses or crowd charges by lines of baton-wielding officers to disperse demonstrations.

    The New York Times, Technology Advances Put Police Behavior In Focus, April 15, 2009

    April 16, 2009

  • See also kettle.

    April 16, 2009