For the rest of my year in the army I was still able to feel a burn in my eyes every time I put on my gas mask for training. Tear gas and pepper spray will stick to everything exposed, and also to anything you touch, before you manage to wash it all off. You might find yourself feeling the effects for days afterwards if you don’t decontaminate before entering your home. These weapons are toxic, but the immediate effects of tear gas will wear off after half an hour in fresh air.
I am told that the pain from pepper spray is more instant and intense, and that you might also feel a strong sense of anger. Pepper spray is much harder to remove from the skin. In a high concentration, it can also cause first-degree burns if left on the skin. In a normal concentration, most of the painful effects should disappear within two hours of moving away from direct exposure.
/CROWD CONTROL
It is worth remembering that crowds are not always going to be hostile. Some come in peace. If you are in a position of authority, they might be more afraid of you than you are of the thousands of them.
Samantha Bolton remembers: ‘Refugee crowds without leaders can be organized, especially when in shock. We were the first to see over a million refugees come over the border in Goma after the massacre in Rwanda in 1994. They streamed over in silence in just two hours. They were like dumbstruck cattle and went just where I told them as I was the only figure of authority around. The key is not to be afraid, and to pick out a possible leader if you need someone to negotiate with.’
/BODY ARMOUR OR FLAK JACKETS
You put on your underwear, you put on your trousers and a shirt, then on goes the body armour. The longer you wear it, the heavier it gets. If you are running around, it gets sweaty and dirty. If it doesn’t fit very well, it will start to rub and bruise, and then – ouch! – it really hurts.
I wore a flak jacket for 21 days in a row while on exercise with the army. We were told we had to sleep in it, so we did. My arms and hips were bruised for another three weeks afterwards. By the time I emerged from my armoured cocoon, what little need I had for a bra had disappeared and instead I found a washboard stomach.
There is a big debate over whether civilians should wear body armour at all. People working for NGOs often don’t as they say the logo on their cars and shirts are protection enough.
Some people, like my colleague Zeina Khodr, are fatalistic: ‘I don’t believe in armour. If it is your day to die, it is your day. And also it’s important not to look different from the people around you.’ Others reinforce at least part of this view. Qais Azimy says: ‘I don’t wear expensive clothes any more – it just draws attention. I try to look more like a local. Body armour too just puts you more in danger.’
Many even question whether it will save them if they are shot. It is a pain to wear, but feels pretty flimsy when you know it is supposed to defend you from bullets and shrapnel. Captain Sayed Hashim told me: ‘The Afghan National Army did not used to have helmets and body armour, but now we are getting more – almost all of us have armour. We wear it, but I know it doesn’t make any difference to whether we survive or not. That is Allah’s will.’
Some people, such as Nick Toksvig, feel the advantages of wearing flak jackets far outweigh the negative aspects: ‘The jacket isn’t difficult to wear. I have seen it save someone’s life when they were shot directly in the chest. At the very least it will hold you together if you are hit. A cameraman I know was working with his flak under a shirt. He was looking straight down the camera and someone came up and stabbed him from behind. The attacker hit the jacket, his hand slid down the knife and he actually ended up cutting himself. My friend ran for his life.’
Shelley Thakral is pragmatic about wearing body armour: ‘It’s just a necessary part of my kit. Not just for me, but for everyone around me. Of course, you have to know when to wear it, when you don’t stand out. But wherever you are, it is another layer of security. As a journalist, I am exposed, so I need to take extra precautions. The risks of not wearing it are not worth taking.’
Leith Mushtaq says: ‘It seems pointless to wear the body armour, but wear it anyway so that no one can accuse you of not taking care of yourself if you are hurt. However, don’t wear the body armour if you are going to be a target as a result of it.’
If you are lucky, your body armour will be like a jacket, something to put on when you are leaving the house. But you might find yourself wearing it for hours and days and weeks on end.
Sherine Tadros told me: ‘I’ve had big problems with flak jackets. I’ve tried different sizes with different plates, but they all have one thing in common – they are damned heavy. I found wearing one for a day or two, as I did in Lebanon, just about bearable, but in Gaza, for 23 days, it felt like I was carrying the kitchen sink on my back.’
Sherine offers the following ideas to reduce post-flak back pain:
• When you are taking the jacket off or putting it on, lie it down on something and slip in and out of it rather than trying to lift it over your head.
• Sitting down while wearing your flak feels better than standing, but it is still putting a lot of pressure on your back and shoulders. To avoid this, manoeuvre yourself into a sitting position that takes the bulk of the weight off – perhaps by resting most of the weight of the flak on a table, or holding it up using your chair.
• In the absence of anyone around you willing and able to do so, give yourself back and shoulder massages when you take the flak off, and stretch your muscles.
Body armour is not exactly high fashion, and Laura Tyson points out: ‘Women rarely look good in a flak jacket. If you have to wear one, make sure your clothes are dark-coloured and fairly tight-fitting, or else you look like you’re going to an embassy fancy dress party.’
Then there’s the helmet – a bad hair day for everyone, but pretty essential. Marc Laban advises: ‘In an urban riot situation, wear a helmet. One of my photographer friends improvised, tying the ubiquitous Thai street cooking pot on his head.
‘These days it is standard practice for broadcasters to send their teams out with helmets and flak jackets, but there are still a lot of freelancers who can’t afford proper protection. In that case, buy a motorcycle helmet – or a cooking pot. They’re not going to stop a round from an M-16, but they might save you from serious injury.’
If you do decide to wear a flak jacket, make sure it’s up to the correct specifications. Look inside for a label with the level of protection specified. The plates should be at least level IV, which will protect against a standard high-velocity bullet.