"Unrest" and "Riot" are not the same...you can have civil unrest chanting kumbaya in the local court house...Riot has a much stronger connotation and intails destruction and violenceWell words have meaning, and the meaning of "unrest" or "civil unrest" is rioting, just because you don't like the word doesn't make it any less correct.
This is language dillution by your buddies in media and its despicable