A
mass demonstration of
stupidity,
agression,
meanness, and
bullying. A way of demonstrating that the people in
charge are
incompetent enough to not be able to see any other
method of doing things, or lack
respect for
life enough that they really don't
care that they're making people
die.
The only thing worse than the person in charge who's willing to sacrifice the lives of others (but not themselves) is all the people who go along with it.
A striking example of the fact that the human race is still, in the grand scheme of things, about as mature as a little child.