Weapons

Get a grip on deadly crowd-control weapons

Five years ago, 33-year-old activist Andries Tatane joined thousands of others on a peaceful protest against poor public services in Ficksburg, South Africa. A few hours later he was dead, after being blasted by police water cannon, beaten by batons and shot by rubber bullets. Despite witness testimony and video footage, seven police officers were acquitted of his murder.
 
Tatane was a victim of crowd-control weapons (CCWs): ‘non-lethal’ or ‘less lethal’ weaponry developed for the military but used by police against civilians — whether it’s rubber bullets in South Africa, tear gas in Tahrir Square in Egypt or Skunk spray in Gaza.
 
Last month, the NGO Physicians for Human Rights released a reportdocumenting the growing use and health impacts of CCWs. [1] I rang the coauthor, Rohini Haar, to talk about what the findings suggest about disability.