Tear gas a growing danger in Hong Kong
Misuse of policing tool against protesters could be lethal, experts say
Hong Kong police have fired more than 1,800 rounds of tear gas as the mass protests gripping the city have become increasingly fraught.
Experts who reviewed videos for the New York Times said the police had repeatedly violated standards for safely dispersing crowds, putting protesters and bystanders in serious danger.
Hong Kong police have defended their use of tear gas, saying the protests have become more violent in recent weeks, with demonstrators embracing more aggressive tactics. Activists have thrown bricks, blocked streets and set fires.
The police say they have acted with restraint. Often, they hold up large banners warning the crowds about tear gas before they fire. But a Times review of dozens of episodes involving tear gas show police, at times, have used methods that experts describe as indiscriminate and excessive. Many recordings show officers deploying tear gas against crowds that appeared nonviolent and that were not attacking police.
“This is ridiculous,” said Jim Bueermann, former president of the Police Foundation in Washington, referring to a video that appeared to show tear gas being fired off a tower.
“I would find this to be completely unacceptable under American standards,” added Bueermann, a former police chief who advises law enforcement agencies. “You are now taking a less-lethal tool, the tear gas, and making it a potentially lethal object.”
Around the world, tear gas has long been a means to control riots and protests. If used appropriately, it drives people to flee the gas, which irritates their eyes, skin and lungs without causing serious, long-term injuries in most people. Experts say officers should fire tear-gas canisters a short distance toward the edges of a crowd.
But law enforcement officers at times ignore those guidelines, leading to debilitating injuries, as has happened at protests in South Korea, Bahrain and Turkey.
Most injuries from the use of tear gas in Hong Kong have been minor. Groups have begun documenting health issues like prolonged coughing, skin blisters and diarrhea. Bystanders with no protective gear, including children, have been seen getting caught in tear gas.
Experts reviewing the videos of episodes in various neighbourhoods described ways in which the officers’ methods could have been dangerous.
Using tear gas indoors
Tear gas is a nonlethal chemical when used appropriately. It spreads quickly over a wide area, limiting exposure to individuals. Experts and tear-gas manufacturers warn against using it indoors, where higher concentrations of the chemical can become trapped, and people may not be able to escape.
Two weeks ago, after a standoff with police in the Kwai Fong area of Hong Kong, anti-government protesters retreated to a subway station.
In a video taken by a blogger, protesters can be seen gathering inside the gates of the station. An officer runs in, and protesters set off a fire extinguisher to impede visibility. The officer then fires what appears to be a tear-gas canister toward the crowd. Moments later, more officers rush into the station, and appear to fire two more rounds in the protesters’ direction.
Using tear gas inside is dangerous, whatever the reason, experts said.
“Discharging indoors leads to panic, can lead to stampede, and at its worst it can lead to dire health consequences, including death, if people cannot escape the suffocating effects of the gas,” said Michael Power, a civil rights lawyer based in South Africa who specializes in protests and policing.
Firing from high above
In several cases, Hong Kong police have shot tear gas from their perches above the crowds.
Earlier this month, thousands of protesters gathered outside the government headquarters as part of a general strike across Hong Kong. The demonstration was considered an unlawful assembly because it expanded beyond what was authorized by the city.
The police warned protesters they needed to leave. But the crowd on Harcourt Rd. remained, blocking traffic.
Multiple videos from that day showed tear gas falling from the sky into crowds of protesters. The officers’ exact position was unclear, but the rounds’ trajectories suggest that the police were stationed on a building high above.
Shooting from such a position is reckless, Bueermann said, because the tear-gas canisters fall to the ground at a high speed. Most of the canisters collected by protesters have been sixinch-round metal shells.
“I have never seen that before,” he said. “I think that is hugely problematic. If it hits someone in the head, you could kill them.”