[Here are some interesting tips. Someone has done some homework here. My only query is about water and tear gas. I was under the impression that sweat and water – anything liquid made teargas worse. Other than that, this is interesting. I see they had PDFs, etc for download. Goodluck folks!! Jan]

The aim is not to be violent, but to both prevent yourself from being hurt and stopping them from hurting you. In other words, how to stand your ground and keep the crowd together.

Organise yourself in pairs. Keep an eye out for your partner at all times. Make sure that you know their personal details and who to contact in the event that they are hurt or arrested. Have this type of information about yourself to give to someone you trust at the demonstration.

There is some equipment needed, most of which can be got relatively easily:

o Hard hat “ to protect your head
o Back pack “ to carry water, and protect your back
o Water bottle “ for tear gas
o Scarf “ for tear gas
o Egg boxes “ to protect your front

Wear the scarf around your neck, ready to be wetted if they use tear gas: important to cover the eyes with the wet cloth! Remember NOT to use vaseline on your body as it reacts with the tear gas.

Link arms with others near you to stop the police from separating you.

The aim is to hold your ground for as long as possible, to prevent the police from harming you, to be able to talk to them about their behaviour, and to be able to retreat to a new position with some control.

Don’t be provoked into taking violent action against the police. Isolate trouble makers.

As regards types of tear gas: there is no information about types the ZRP have, so we have to work on the assumption that these are for civilian situations only. They have used military type tear gas in the past, so it is important always to have some people designated to pick up empty canisters and identify these for future actions. If they are using inappropriate ordinance, we can then publicise this via Amnesty International and other organisations.

URL: http://www.zvakwana.com/html/atips/riotpolice…/p>