History Main / SuddenPrincipledStand

[[folder:Anime And Manga]]
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', in a flashback, Dalton is moved to tears by Hiruluk's ObiWanMoment, and after the latter kills himself, he sees [[AristocratsAreEvil Wapol]] [[KickTheDog laughing his ass off over it]]. With the last person to try and save the country in crisis now gone, Dalton decides that this is the last straw, and chews him out for his assholish behavior over the years, Finally declaring no matter how advanced Drum Kingdom is in medicine, "Medicine cannot cure [Wapol's] stupidity". Unfortunately, in a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] of the trope, this leads to Wapol being furious with Dalton, and [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown soundly defeating him]], before sending him to prison.
* In ''Manga/TowardTheTerra'', Glaive Murdock is generally portrayed as an unrepentant bully and jerk, but he gets several of these, including pretending he didn't receive a command to slaughter retreating civilians and refusing to ColonyDrop a colony full of innocent hostages despite a standing order to do so when attacked.
* ''Manga/OnaniMasterKurosawa'', Kurosawa was initially blackmailed by Kitahara into masturbating on other people's things as a form of revenge and mostly went along with it because of his own depression and misanthropy. [[spoiler: The point where things start turning around is when he's asked to target his now-taken crush and he gets hit with a bout of HeelRealization, and he starts off by confessing to being the one responsible to the whole class]].

* ComicBook/CaptainAtom reaches this point in issue 50. Issues earlier, [[HerrDoktor Dr. Megala]] had arranged for a video recording revealing all the dirty secrets of the Captain Atom project to go out on national television after his death as insurance against his being eliminated by Wade Eiling. In issue 50, Megala does die, albeit not at the hands of Eiling, so Eiling has Cap go on television to claim that Megala was a supervillain and that everything that he was going to say were a bunch of lies. Just then, Megala's recording breaks in, and it turns out that all Megala had to say was that "Wade Eiling wears combat boots." When the regular broadcast resumes, Cap starts to go ahead with his rehearsed statement, but then decides he has had enough, and instead comes clean about how he is really a government agent who has been masquerading as a superhero.

* Sabretooth, in the ''ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse'', begins his gradual HeelFaceTurn when after leading Apocalypse's Horsemen to successfully seize the U.S.'s nuclear stockpile at Cape Citadel, he refuses to obey Apocalypse's order to nuke the rest of the world in order to induce a global winter so as to promote En Sabah Nur's goal of Survival of the Fittest. He was okay with grabbing control of the weapons but not with actually using them. His HeelFaceTurn ends when, years later, he finally refuses to massacre child survivors of Apocalypse's culling of U.S. cities (as their will to live reminded him of himself when he was their age), even going so far as to actually hide them from the rest of Apocalypse's forces. Deemed to have committed the ultimate crime by acting contrary to "Survival of the Fittest", he is then court-martialed and sentenced to life imprisonment. When he manages to break out, he's firmly established to now being on the side of good, or at least not on the side of evil anymore.
* ''ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures'': Invoked in ''Mad Love'', when Harley sends Batman a message claiming the Joker's latest plan is too much even for her to accept; it turns out to be a trick to get close to Batman.
* ''ComicBook/TrollhuntersTheSecretHistoryOfTrollkind'': Vendel remarks and commends Kanjigar for abstaining from eating the humans on the Mayflower on principle despite the desperate conditions.[[/folder]]

* The Enclave from ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria'' repeatedly fall prey to this, especially since their troops have been trained all their lives to believe they’re the ‘good guys’ and bastion of civilisation in a barbaric world. One trooper immediately deserts when his commander shoots a defenceless filly (accidentally, but he wasn’t sorry about it), and later a whole battleship outright refuses to continue firing on a civilian target, and is eventually shot down by their own side.
* No one hears it, [[FightingFromTheInside and it had been building for some time,]] with some [[WouldntHurtAChild foreshadowing]] but it is still very jarring (in a good way) when the Winter Soldier flat out refuses to assassinate [[spoiler: Carol]] in ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm''.

* In a roundabout way, [[spoiler: Knock Out]] of all bots in ''[[FanFic/TransformersPrimeTimeWar Transformers Prime: Time War]]''. Much to the shock of everyone present, stands between Megatron as he's about to kill [[spoiler: Smokescreen]] during the battle for the Space Bridge. Only it was [[spoiler: Smokescreen's]] order to save himself that he disobeyed.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12394742/6/The-Defeated The Deafeated]]'' (an AU where Ichigo failed to save Rukia), Kenpachi takes a stand when Momo is allowed to brutally whip Ichigo for her belief he's involved with Aizen. Kenpachi backhands her into a wall and declares that anyone who wants to lay a hand on Ichigo has to go through him. Afterwards, he saves Orihime from Mayuri's experimentations at Ichigo's request. It's even more notable as before this, every captain (except Ukitake) that Ichigo met either experimented on him or tortured him because of someone who died in his attempt to rescue Rukia.
** Later subverted when it turns out Kenpachi did it in hopes Ichigo would join Aizen so they can fight again.

-->'''Twilight''': Everypony in Canterlot has been deceived once already. I was not taught to lie, especially to ponies who trust me.

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

-->'''Frollo''': The sentence for insubordination is death. Such a pity. You threw away a promising career.\\
'''Phoebus''': [[ShutUpHannibal Consider it my highest honor, sir.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'', Boss Wolf refuses to fire upon the heroes with his own men in the crossfire. Shen responds by killing him on the spot.

* ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}'': Throughout the film Tony has been a drug lord, a murderer, generally getting worse and worse. But seeing [[spoiler: Sosa's hitman about to kill the target while the man's wife and kid are in the same car]] makes him draw the line.
* Two of the Democrats in ''Film/{{Lincoln}}'' pull this off on the day of the vote, Yeaman in particular.

* In the ''Film/TheHouseBunny'' Lily [[TheVoiceless does not utter a single word]] until she sees her friends acting like the same snobs who tormented them, at which point she vehemently calls them out for becoming exactly what they hated.
* In ''Film/TheMuppets'', just as Tex Richman is about to cut the power to the Muppet theater:
-->'''Tex Richman''': Deadly! What are you doing?
-->'''Uncle Deadly''': Enough! Just because I have a terrifying name and an evil English accent, does not preclude the fact that, in my heart, I am a Muppet, not a Moopet!

* ''Literature/{{Deryni}} Checkmate'': The day after the Curia excommunicated Morgan and Duncan, its leaders, Archbishops Loris and Corrigan, tried to push through an Interdict on Morgan's duchy as well. The previously neutral Bishop Cardiel spoke against the measure, precipitating a schism within the Church. Cardiel argued that it was unjust to punish the people of Corwyn for the actions of its duke and left open the possibility that Morgan and Duncan were morally innocent. The conflict escalated as other bishops, including Arilan and Tolliver (Corwyn's bishop) joined in, accusing Loris of supporting a rebellion against the king and promoting genocide against the Deryni.
* The entire plot of ''[[Literature/TrailOfGlory 1812: The Arkansas War]]'' hinges on this trope, in that the [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates United States]] is forced to address slavery in the 1820s instead of the 1850s, and in a far more direct way. It's not too sudden, but then it involves an entire ''nation''.
* In Ru Emerson's ''The Princess of Flames'', King Sedry's henchman Nolse has done every manner of dirty deed in Sedry's service, including killing Sedry's own brother for him. But when Sedry tries to torture information out of Fialla, the lady of an ally, Nolse discovers to his shock that he actually does have a conscience and it won't tolerate this. Sedry kills him, but the fight buys enough time for Fialla to be rescued.
* In ''[[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar By the Sword]]'', mercenary Kerowyn quits the Skybolts in a dramatic InsigniaRipOffRitual rather than follow their inept Captain in an attack intended (by their corrupt employers) to get the entire company killed. The rest of the company is inspired, and after some misadventures they get Kero installed as Captain herself.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/TheBoys2019''. Homelander has discovered the existence of The Boys and accuses Starlight--who is dating Hughie Campbell--of being in league with them. He's working himself up into a homicidal fury when Queen Maeve gets up and tells Homelander to leave her alone. Homelander is surprised saying he could not remember the last time Maeve gave a shit about anyone. It's implied that both Starlight and Maeve's ex-girlfriend Elena have started Maeve feeling guilty about how far she's strayed from her ideals.

-->'''Cpl. Coltrane:''' "This has ''got'' to stop!"

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* ''Wrestling/TheUndertaker'' usually wasn't terribly reserved in his evil but when his ally at the time, ''Wrestling/JakeRoberts'', tried to club Wrestling/MissElizabeth with a chair, [[EvenEvilHasStandards he grabbed the chair from Roberts.]] Robert indignantly asked Taker whose side he was on, Taker responded, "[[HeelFaceTurn Not. Yours.]]"

* Wrestling/WilliamRegal has, since his introduction, been a snobbish, arrogant, British {{Heel}} with a not-so-hidden vicious streak. But when he befriends the [[IdiotSavant mentally challenged but innocent and talented]] [[Wrestling/NickDinsmore Eugene]], despite his initial resentment at playing babysitter, he grows fond of his young charge, and stands up against Wrestling/TripleH when the former-champion tries to bully the kid.

* Cecil does this near the beginning ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV''. Having already stormed a defenseless city of {{Squishy Wizard}}s to rob their crystal and been demoted for meekly questioning the King's orders, he's then used as an UnwittingPawn to destroy the summoners' village, Mist. When Kain points out that the King would want them to kill a little girl who is one of the few survivors, Cecil refuses and turns away from Baron.
-->"Any man who'd wish for this is no king of mine."

[[folder:Web Works]]
* While Magus of ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' had previously shown a willingness to do a good many things in hopes of returning to the physical world, when Pandora told him to [[spoiler:force Mr. Verres to kill a certain wizard in cold blood,]] he decided that [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1022 was one thing he was not willing to do.]] (Warning: Link contains spoilers)

* Lion-O from ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats 2011}} [=ThunderCats (2011)=]]]'' takes one against a blood thirsty mob and his own father.

[[folder:Other]]
* In 1962, a group of street musicians in UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} had gathered quite a crowd and kept playing well after 22:30 into the night. Police arrived and instead of just saying "this is a residential area, would you please stop playing here or move to the park", they immediately arrested the musicians. At that point some people in the crowd protested that this was unfair and 17 years of unresolved social tension after World War 2 finally spilled over. The officers called for backup, which arrived in the form of a riot squad, and at that point the situation grew into a real riot. Completely inexperienced and untrained, police handled the situation as poorly as one would expect and the riots escalated and lasted for over a week, and also marked the beginning of the [[TheSixties German civil rights movement]] which was marked by PoliceBrutality and [[WesternTerrorists left wing terrorism]] that lasted for the next two decades. And all because someone stood up and said "Don't you think this is a bit excessive?".
* Many Dutch student fraternities let their members go through two weeks of humiliation (Which often include humiliating tasks, getting shouted at by older members, excessive alcohol consumption and very little sleep) before they are a full member. Other fraternities dislike this practice, and don't have this kind of initiation ritual (or some much lesser form.) At least one fraternity puts an older member among the new members, and calls this 'mole' forward to be 'humiliated', until the new members invoke just this trope, at which point the masquerade is given up, and everybody has a good laugh.
* During the weeks leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Soviet government increasingly pressured East Germany to crack down on protests. Combining a harsh TakeThat against communist China with a thinly-veiled accusation that the Soviets were demanding a return to stooping to the repressiveness of UsefulNotes/NaziGermany, the premier of East Germany pointedly and quite angrily rebuked Moscow, "We '''refuse''' to implement the Chinese Solution" (referring to the Tiananmen Square Massacre), with wording that intentionally drew an '''explicit''' parallel to the Third Reich's escalation of repression from Kristallnacht into the eventual enactment of "The FinalSolution." The speech marked the beginning of the end for the Eastern Bloc.
* Invoking this was part of the Milgram Experiment by asking a volunteer to administer increasingly painful electric shocks to someone (an actor) on command by an authority figure. The researchers were trying to find out when people would stand up and say "no more" due to an attack of conscience. They estimated that no more than 3% would administer a 450V (likely fatal) shock. [[spoiler: In initial testing ''65%'' administered that level of electricity. The actor was supposed to stop responding after 300V. RealLife NightmareFuel at its darkest.]]
** The SuddenPrincipledStand ''did'' eventually occur in all cases. Specifically, when the volunteer was asked to continue the experiment by having the authority figure insist on it, ''every single one'' of the volunteers said no. Specifically, the authority figure stated "Please continue" after the first objection, followed by "The experiment requires that you continue" after the second, "it is absolutely essential that you continue" and finally "You have no choice, you ''must'' go on". After the final prod, all volunteers stopped the experiment without fail.

Things are not going well. [[ItGetsEasier Everyone around you gets more cynical and less caring with each passing day.]] What started out with good, or at least neutral, intentions, ends up more self-serving or antagonistic. The descent has been so slow and so drawn out that it has just crept up on everyone.

* A high ranking member of the Devil's Disciples biker gang turned in his own nephew after learning the five people he killed in the name of the gang included three children. He later had to leave the gang as his fellow members didn't appreciate him snitching to the cops, even over a child murderer.

* No one hears it, [[FightingFromTheInside and it had been building for some time,]] with some [[WouldntHurtAChild foreshadowing]] but it is still very jarring (in a good way) when [[spoiler: the Winter Soldier]] flat out refuses to assassinate [[spoiler: Carol]] in ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm''.
** In chapter 11 of ''Ghosts of the Past'', [[spoiler: Maddie demands to know what will be done with the newly recaptured Harry, and prepares to protect him when she gets an unsatisfactory answer. Unfortunately, Sinister then uses a TriggerPhrase on her to shut her down.]]

* In the ''ComicBook/BlackOrchid'' miniseries by Creator/NeilGaiman, the second Black Orchid, after one of Lex Luthor's operatives, Sterling, tracks her down to the Brazilian rainforest, refuses his ultimatum to accompany him peacefully to Lexcorp for anatomical study. Sterling orders his two {{Mook}}s to kill her with herbicide. However, awed by her beauty and that of the surrounding ecosystem, they refuse ("I--we've killed for you before. It's what we do. But not her. Not here."), and he returns to Metropolis empty-handed. {{Foreshadow|ing}}ed in that one of the mooks, en route, discusses what he's read about the endangered Amazon rainforests.
** The later continuation of ''Black Orchid'' by Dick Foreman retconned this to have been the result of Black Orchid using pheremonal control on the two mooks, but it's clear that wasn't Gaiman's original intention.
* From the Exiles comic from Marvel comics the character of Mimic resolves to no longer kill after their 'setting right what's gone wrong' had descended into his having to kill a number of alternate universe versions of people he's known. This unfortunately ends up backfiring leading to his death as he hesitates in killing Proteus, a body-snatching reality warper, resulting in his own possession and death as his body burns out from the possession.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' story arc ''[[ComicBook/Supergirl2011 Last Daughter of Krypton]]'', [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Simon Tycho]] kidnaps the titular heroine, planning on dissecting her. Nonetheless, one of his mercenaries decides he didn't sign for hurting young girls and releases Supergirl.

[[/folder]]

* The Enclave from ''FanFic/FalloutEquestria'' repeatedly fall prey to this, especially since their troops have been trained all their lives to believe they’re the ‘good guys’ and bastion of civilisation in a barbaric world. One trooper immediately deserts when his commander shoots a defenceless filly (accidentally, but he wasn’t sorry about it), and later a whole battleship outright refuses to continue firing on a civilian target, and is eventually shot down by their own side.

* In the ''Film/TheHouseBunny'' Lily [[TheVoiceless does not utter a single word]] until she sees her friends acting like the same snobs who tormented them. Vehemently calling everyone out for becoming exactly what they hated.

* In ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'', Twilight Sparkle is manipulated by [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Prince Jewelius]] into [[CorruptTheCutie becoming colder]] and disowning her friends, brother and mentor after he [[HeroWithBadPublicity disgraces]] them all following the Changeling invasion. She [[CassandraTruth doesn't believe their warnings]] about [[spoiler:Jewelius having used her and the Changelings in stealing the throne]] and doesn't seriously object to Celestia being hanged until the alicorn gives her a heartfelt apology. Though she later starts having doubts about who to believe, she still doesn't object much against Jewelius. However, when he orders her to get Canterlot's citizens[[note]]who are more concerned about the renewed Changeling threat than the heroes they're lied about[[/note]] off his back by telling them a lie of him having the situation under his control, she goes against those instructions and tells the crowd the true state of things. This leads her into having with Jewelius an argument[[note]]in which she actually demands him to be a good ruler and set things right for everypony[[/note]] that leads her to realize how right her friends were about him and throw away entirely his bad influence on her.

-->-- '''Phoebus''', ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''

* Phoebus against Frollo in ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', as quoted above. After a montage of atrocities committed against Parisian gypsies and anyone Frollo thinks could be sheltering them, Phoebus draws the line when ordered to burn a miller's family in their home and furiously tosses his torch into a water barrel. Frollo then grabs another torch and sets the fire himself. Without an instant of hesitation, Phoebus dives into the flaming house and manages to bring the family to safety. Frollo's soldiers then grab Phoebus and prepare to execute him in response right before Esmeralda, hiding among the terrified patrons, intervenes with a distraction.

* In ''Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'', Vitani refuses to attack the Pridelanders even when ordered by [[AbusiveParents Zira]], because she was convinced by Kiara's speech. In response, Zira threatened that Vitani would die as well. In turn, ''the rest of Zira's followers'' refused to attack the Pridelanders. In fairness, most people would agree that threatening to kill your own daughter is a pretty clear MoralEventHorizon.

* In ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'', Twilight Sparkle is manipulated by [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Prince Jewelius]] into [[CorruptTheCutie becoming colder]] and disowning her friends, brother and mentor after he [[HeroWithBadPublicity disgraces]] them all following the Changeling invasion. She [[CassandraTruth doesn't believe their warnings]] about [[spoiler:Jewelius having used her and the Changelings in stealing the throne]] and doesn't object to Celestia being hanged until the alicorn gives her a heartfelt apology. Though she later starts having doubts about who to believe, she still doesn't object much against Jewelius. However, when he orders her to get Canterlot's citizens[[note]]who are more concerned about the renewed Changeling threat than the heroes they're lied about[[/note]] off his back by telling them a lie of him having the situation under his control, she goes against those instructions and tells the crowd the true state of things. This leads her into having with Jewelius an argument[[note]]in which she actually demands him to be a good ruler and set things right for everypony[[/note]] that leads her to realize how right her friends were about him and throw away entirely his bad influence on her.

* Played for laughs in ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': the Centurion has been listening patiently to all of Emperor's and Kitten's more-and-less insane conversations, but when they begin to talk about the Space Wolves and Lemun Russ while [[ArchNemesis Magnus]] [[BerserkButton the Red]] was in earshot, [[spoiler:he interrupts them and reveals his identity: [[NotQuiteDead Rogal Dorn.]]]]

* Played for laughs in ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': the Centurion has been listening patiently to all of Emperor's and Kitten's more-and-less insane conversations, but when they go off-topic for the third time in a row, [[spoiler:he interrupts them and takes off his helmet.]]

* In ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'', Twilight is manipulated by [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Prince Jewelius]] into [[CorruptTheCutie becoming colder]] and disowning her friends, brother and mentor after he [[HeroWithBadPublicity disgraces]] them all following the Changeling invasion. She [[CassandraTruth doesn't believe their warnings]] about [[spoiler:Jewelius having used her and the Changelings in stealing the throne]] and doesn't object to Celestia being hanged until the alicorn gives her a heartfelt apology. Though she later starts having doubts about who to believe, she still doesn't object much against Jewelius. However, when he orders her to get Canterlot's citizens (who are more concerned about the renewed Changeling threat than the heroes they're lied about) off his back by telling them a lie of him having the situation under his control, she goes against those instructions and tells the crowd the true state of things. This leads her into having with Jewelius an argument (in which she actually demands him to be a good ruler and set things right for everypony) that leads her to realize how right her friends were about him and throw away entirely his bad influence on her.

* ''Creator/TheUndertaker'' usually wasn't terribly reserved in his evil but when his ally at the time, ''Creator/JakeRoberts'', tried to club Miss Elizabeth with a chair, [[EvenEvilHasStandards he grabbed the chair from Roberts.]] Robert indignantly asked Taker whose side he was on, Taker responded, "[[HeelFaceTurn Not. Yours.]]"[[/folder]]

** The SuddenPrincipledStand ''did'' eventually occur in all cases. Specifically, when the volunteer was asked to continue the experiment by having the authority figure insist on it, ''every single one'' of the volunteers said no. Specifically, the authority figure stated "Please continue" after the first objection, followed by "The experiment requires that you continue" after the second, "it is absolutely essential that you continue" and finally ''You have no choice, you ''must'' go on". After the final prod, all volunteers stopped the experiment without fail.

Compare EveryoneHasStandards; EvenEvilHasStandards; NeutralNoLonger; AwakeningTheSleepingGiant; NotWhatISignedOnFor; ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight; SpannerInTheWorks; RageBreakingPoint (where anger is handled this way). Contrast SlowlySlippingIntoEvil, of which this can be a [[DefiedTrope Defiance]].

* In ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'', Twilight is manipulated by [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Prince Jewelius]] into [[CorruptTheCutie becoming colder]] and disowning her friends, brother and mentor after he [[HeroWithBadPublicity disgraces]] them all following the Changeling invasion. She [[CassandraTruth doesn't believe their warnings]] about [[spoiler:Jewelius having used her and the Changelings in stealing the throne]] and doesn't object to Celestia being hanged until the alicorn gives her a heartfelt apology. Though she later starts having doubts about who to believe, she still doesn't much object to Jewelius' questionable ruling style. However, when he orders her to get Canterlot's citizens (who are more concerned about the renewed Changeling threat than the heroes they're lied about) off his back by telling them a lie of him having the situation under his control, she goes against those instructions and tells the crowd the true state of things. When she's berated for this by Jewelius, she starts making demands of him setting things right for everypony, only for him to reveal how truly evil he is.

* In ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'', [[CorruptTheCutie Twilight is manipulated]] by [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Prince Jewelius]] into disowning her friends, brother and mentor after he [[HeroWithBadPublicity disgraces]] them all following the Changeling invasion. She [[CassandraTruth doesn't believe their warnings]] about [[spoiler:Jewelius having used her and the Changelings in stealing the throne]] and doesn't object to Celestia being hanged until the alicorn gives her a heartfelt apology. Though she later starts having doubts about who to believe, she still doesn't much object to Jewelius' questionable ruling style. However, when he orders her to get Canterlot's citizens (who are more concerned about the renewed Changeling threat than the heroes they're lied about) off his back by telling them a lie of him having the situation under his control, she goes against those instructions and tells the crowd the true state of things. When she's berated for this by Jewelius, she starts making

* Joey Matthews and Wrestling/TylerBlack have one when the man who started The Age Of The Fall, Wrestling/JimmyJacobs, wanted them to film his stalking of ex girlfriend Lacey. They went through with this but when he tried to hit her with a rail road spike, invoking the same injury that started the movement in the first place, [[NotWhatISignedUpFor they stopped him]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]

* Phoebus against Frollo in ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', as quoted above. After a montage of atrocities committed against Parisian gypsies and anyone Frollo thinks could be sheltering them, Phoebus draws the line when ordered to burn a miller's family in their home.

* In 1962, a group of street musicians in [[WestGermany Munich]] had gathered quite a crowd and kept playing well after 22:30 into the night. Police arrived and instead of just saying "this is a residential area, would you please stop playing here or move to the park", they immediately arrested the musicians. At that point some people in the crowd protested that this was unfair and 17 years of unresolved social tension after World War 2 finally spilled over. The officers called for backup, which arrived in the form of a riot squad, and at that point the situation grew into a real riot. Completely inexperienced and untrained, police handled the situation as poorly as one would expect and the riots escalated and lasted for over a week, and also marked the beginning of the [[TheSixties German civil rights movement]] which was marked by PoliceBrutality and [[WesternTerrorists left wing terrorism]] that lasted for the next two decades. And all because someone stood up and said "Don't you think this is a bit excessive?".