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Anastasia Balezdrova

The Greek police used the impressive quantity of 2,860 packages of chemical gases only during the clashes with the anarchists last Wednesday. This is the shocking comparison with dispersing the outraged participants in other sporadic protests, when the police used about 100-150 packages on average.

The explanation for the unseen gray cloud last week that was decided to be spread over the Greek capital according to police officers is, "the information gathered mostly by tapping the phones that groups of anarchists intended to break into the parliament and for this purpose were about to cause tension in various parts of the square to deceive the police."

Maria Sotiropoulou from the International Federation of Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War said in an interview with GRReporter that the gases sprayed contained the chemical substance CS which is especially dangerous to human health.

"The last reasonable response about the presence of the chemical substance CS was given by the Minister of Citizen Protection at that time Michalis Chrysohoidis after the police attack against Manolis Glezos, replying to parliamentary questions.

The new gases contain C1 and C2, which are derivatives of the same substance. The effect of these chemicals begins 20 seconds after spraying and it can last up to half an hour after a person leaves the contaminated environment. The substance is composed of microscopic crystals that are dispersed into the air and stick to the mucous membranes and the skin.

The effect begins within 20-60 seconds in the eyes. Tears appear and the person can not keep his or her eyes open. Then, the gas enters the nose, causing sneezing, secretion, difficult breathing and burning skin. It goes in the gastro-intestinal and nervous system, causing in some people headache and photophobia. In others it can cause high blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmias. The symptoms resemble the symptoms of flu and they can continue for days or even 1-2 weeks depending on the sensitivity of each organism."

According to Maria Sotiropoulou, another negative consequence is that the substance passes through the skin. "Even the police officers who are wearing protective and gas masks and have no direct mucous membrane contact with the gases are not fully protected. They also have problems later. I would like to add here that according to prestigious medical journals, long exposure to these gases causes cancer, genetic mutations and abnormalities. So, it is forbidden to use them indoors. The substances could remain there even a month, especially if the surfaces are covered with some kind of plastics."

Maria Sotiropoulou explained that despite the ban on the use of these chemicals even during wars, each country has the right to decide whether to use them to maintain public order. "Greece ratified by law in 1994 the manufacture, use and storing of chemical weapons for military purposes, but the text specifies that their use to "maintain public order" is not forbidden.

It is recommended the police to spray them in open spaces at healthy people. But how could anyone know which participants in a protest are healthy and which are not? There should never be direct contact with the skin and the face. Therefore, we think that they should be used as rarely as possible and according to the rules. The best course would be to replace them with another means for protection of public order."

Maria Sotiropoulou paid particular attention to the fact that the residents of neighbourhoods where such collisions occur and where the police use tear and asphyxiating gases against the protesters face greater risk for their health.

The correspondent of the Macedonian Kanal 5 in Athens Sanya Ristovska said that she had difficulty breathing two days after the clashes. "I felt like I had gas in my body. This is either because a large amount was sprayed, or the gases themselves were used for the first time. I immediately felt stunned unlike the others as their action passes quickly and is expressed in stinging in the eyes." Sanya said that during the clashes last Wednesday the police were particularly aggressive towards peaceful protesters without any reason. "They threw a light bomb at us, although they knew that we are reporters. I am lucky that anything more serious did not happen to me during these days."

Six thousand euros was the daily turnover of one of the shops selling protective masks, gas masks and other organic and industrial gas protective equipment last Wednesday. "160 of the 180 customers bought masks of which the turnover reached 2500 euro," told the owner of another shop near Monastiraki Square. He said the demand has increased especially during last week because people looked for masks with better protection. "The shop is running out of masks. The people are buying the more expensive ones because they are providing good protection against tear gas. The less expensive masks are used against organic gases and only restrict their access in the beginning," he said.