CR 'more effective' and more dangerous than CS

THE TORY government has perfected a riot-control gas which makes victims feel they are on fire. A Defence Ministry spokesman said yesterday the agent, known as CR, was being produced 'for use in the United Kingdom'.

The fire gas has been developed at the chemical and biological warfare station at Nancecuke, Cornwall.

It causes a painful burning sensation skin and can be sprayed into a crowd by CR's effect on skin, eyes and respiratory organs makes it a much more potent weapon than CS gas and the previous 'tear gas'.

It has been produced by the government, without publication of any scientific documents or public debate. Its üse would be in direct contravention of the Geneva Protocol to which Britain is a signatory.

The secrecy surrounding the development of CR and other riot-control gases was criticized yesterday by Dr Robert In developing the fire gas in secrecy, the government was defying the findings the Himsworth committee which stat at all medical and scientific resear relevant to the use of should be published 'straight away' in the He told Workers Press that attempts to obtain American field reports had been negative. The tests were conducted at Edgewood Arsenal. Maryland, and had subsequently been given a security classification.

In an article in last week's Scientist, Dr Jones ideal tot existence of an riotcontrol agent of sufficient safety not Ill Dall the health of rioters or of accidentally-exposed innocent people is "merely notional'.

In other words, there's no such thing as a safe crowd-control weapon and it's unlikely that there ever will be.

Dr Jones, a biochemist at the Royal College of Surgeons, London, writes: Politician and scientist alike must accept the inescapable conclusion that any substance capable of producing an irritation at low concentrations must also possess a concomitantly high toxicity!

Saying that 'a sensible decision' would to abandon altogether chemical means of dealing with riots, Jones reterred osveniatric •evicence hat CS gas had exacerbated the mental illness of some childrer in Belfast.

Decades of intensive research POLICE forces in all capitalist count the workers' movement and act as cateurs.

A raw light on how French magazine 'Le written by a member branch of the police when it touches water cannon.

FIRE READY FOR USE 'New have so far failed to uncover a single riot-control agent which can be said to be incapable of causing permanent injury or even death under the conditions in which it is used.

Now, with the rapid manufacture of CR, the Tories have produced a substance which is certainly no 'safer' • Scientists say that its components indicate that it will be more 'effective'-and therefore much more dangerous. This project has been sanctioned by the Tory premier, Edward Heath, and the Defence is also Secreta Tory Carry toamo While of building 'one nation" hey talk of building one nationi and working in harmony with the trade unions, they are preparing behind the scenes with the weapons for class war. News of the fire gas must be a salutory warning to all those who are living in hopes of the 'boom' and peace with Toryism.

Tries closely spies and this is done is shed by an article in Nouvel Observateur'. It claims to of the 'Renseignements Generaux specially concerned with inte provobe nal You either treat It with contempt (above) or simply suffer It (below). You certainly can't get away from CS gas when it's used in the quantities it has been in Northern Ireland. Now CR-still a 'secret' weapon —is to be used 'in the UK'. WIll Ulster again provide the testing ground for this addition to the Tory arsenal? Pictures from Clive Limpkin's Penguin book 'The Battle of the Bogside'. Blast at