Tear Gas Research Articles

Statistically sound identification of compounds by low-resolution GC-MS: Identification of tear agents in tear gas sprays

Gas-chromatography hyphenated with low-resolution mass spectrometry is a very flexible tool for the cost-effective identification and quantification of volatile compounds in complex matrices. In some analytical fields, criteria for the agreement between retention time and mass spectra of the analyte in calibrators and samples are defined based on the general understanding of the performance of these parameters. However, since this harmonization is not based on experimental performance observed for specific GC-MS conditions and analyte it leads to false identifications. This research proposes a novel and robust tool for defining statistically sound criteria for the identification of compounds by GC-MS and LC-MS using experimental data. The Monte Carlo Method (MCM) simulation of the correlated abundance of characteristic ions of analyte mass spectrum allows simulating the abundance ratio difference of the analyte in a calibrator and sample used for statistically sound identifications. The Cholesky decomposition of the covariance matrix of ion abundances for MCM simulations allows the reliable use of many ion abundance ratios in identifications. The developed methodology was implemented in a user-friendly Excel spreadsheet and applied to the identification of tear gas agents in tear gas sprays. Criteria defined by SANTE for identifying pesticide residues in foodstuffs were compared with the developed tool. The cross-validation of computational and SANTE tools allowed concluding that the statistical control of retention time and mass spectra performs according to the defined confidence level. On the other hand, the SANTE criteria can produce up to 92% false identifications for being too strict considering signal dispersion.

Nisan Tanpa Keadilan: Menelisik Tragedi Kanjuruhan Yang Belum Menemukan Titik Terang

Humans in their lives have many interests and goals, so it is inevitable that conflicts and quarrels may occur due to conflicting interests. The Kanjuruhan tragedy was a bloody conflict that claimed hundreds of lives, which was caused by many factors, one of which was the difference in interests that led to abuse of authority. One of the main problems according to the community's perspective in the Kanjuruhan phenomenon was the firing of tear gas by the police. The police at that time became stewards by complying with all the regulations set by FIFA and at the same time had a role as law enforcers and obeyed the laws in force in Indonesia. For this reason, this article aims to discuss how the Kanjuruhan incident occurred, through the analysis of Dahrendorf's conflict perspective theory and how the Authority at that time played its role. This article is prepared with a research method using a qualitative approach, namely the literature study method and analysis of the Watchdoc Documentary Youtube channel.

Football fandom, social justice and solidarity: the linguistic landscape of fans’ protests on the Kanjuruhan tragedy in Indonesia

ABSTRACT The tragedy at the Kanjuruhan football Stadium is the second worst in the world history of soccer. The excessive force and use of tear gas by the military officers led to hundreds of deaths and injuries, yet there have been inadequate responses from the authorities to investigate the case. The linguistic landscape in the forms of protest banners and posters responding to the Kanjuruhan tragedy provides a distinct arena - both in the stadium itself and wider discursive space - demonstrating that public space remains an area of contestation between civil society and the state. By drawing on the insights of linguistic landscapes (LL) and critical discourse analysis, we argue that an LL approach serves as an alternative mechanism to accommodate the subjugated voices and those seeking justice. Our findings reveal three alternative discourses, i.e. #usuttuntas, gas air mata vs. air mata ibu (tear gas vs. mothers’ tears), and humanity above football. The analysis draws attention to the importance of using LL research that can be harnessed to seek insights into broader issues, not just regarding multilingualism, but also issues relating to social change and social justice.

Volumetric citizenship

AbstractIn Thailand, the volatile period from 2019 to 2023 was marked by changing material and political atmospheres. Air pollution, the COVID‐19 pandemic, and government restrictions on speech transformed how Thai citizens breathed and how they related to the monarchy. Understanding this period as a history of breath reconceptualizes the citizen‐body as volumetric, recasting politics as an intermaterial practice. Breath, its vibrations, and its constraints, as it moves across the topologies of the respiratory system, generate densely material, richly symbolic political relations that bind citizens to one another, to the polity, and to the world. Small particles, dust, viruses, speech restrictions, and tear gas constrained the breath of Thai citizens while shaping the conditions in which dissenting vibrations could shake the country's cosmologies. Attention to the citizen‐body as volumetric thus recasts the lungs as relational chambers of political capacity, resituating political analysis within the material world and suggesting that all politics are, in some sense, environmental.

Evaluation of the Temperature Sensitivity of the Lachrymatory Irritant 2-Chlorobenzalmalononitrile by Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Abstract Pyrotechnic compositions are mixtures of several components which, when ignited, undergo energetic chemical reactions at a controlled rate to produce on-demand delay times, amounts of heat, noise, smoke, light or IR radiation. In general, pyrotechnic compositions are easily ignited, burn quickly and produce residues that are very hot. 2-Chlorbenzalmalononitrile (CS) belongs to the category of riot control agents and is used in various pyrotechnic tear gas compositions. The thermal characterization of tear pyrotechnic compositions is important for setting operating limits in the safety of the production process, storage, handling and even safe demilitarization. In this sense, an experimental study was carried out to evaluate the behavior of CS at high temperatures, at different heating rates, by differential scanning calorimetry. Thermal changes were evaluated at a heating rate of 10, 20, 100 and 200οC/minute. The remaining residue was extracted in a suitable organic solvent and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry for the detection, identification and confirmation of the products formed during the controlled heating processes.

Non-lethal weapons and the sensory repression of dissent in democracies

This article examines the use of ‘non-lethal’ weapons (NLWs) by liberal democracies to govern dissent in non-war contexts. We argue that NLWs can enable sensorial governance, specifically through sensory repression of dissent. Although accented as non-lethal, NLWs are better conceived of as what we term ‘Weapons of Sensory Repression’ (WSRs). From tear gas to sound cannons to skunk bombs and more, WSRs target the human senses – visual, auditory, olfactory, proprioceptive – and impose debility not death, thus enabling the use of technologies of repression against dissenting collective assemblies at lower threat thresholds than conventional weapons, arguably disincentivizing alternatives to repression. Since law enforcement in liberal democracies is not explicitly linked to political control and such democracies derive legitimacy from responsiveness to public opinion, it is worth highlighting what WSRs make im/possible in this regard. Empirically, WSRs create and confirm subordinate citizenship in liberal democracies for those who are already de facto lacking in certain rights. Emphasizing that liberal democracies renew themselves through challenges involving mass mobilization, we suggest that the employment of these weapons transforms problems of political change into problems of technological crowd management by dehumanizing those that propose alternative logics for dominant economic, nationalist or racial orders.

The Development of Tear Gas Delivery Technologies and the Transnational Movement of Pepper Fog from the United States to South Korea in the 1960s

The Development of Tear Gas Delivery Technologies and the Transnational Movement of Pepper Fog from the United States to South Korea in the 1960s

From Jamestown to Bethlehem: Local connections of geopolitical violence

In this visual intervention, I demonstrate connections between Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank and rural Jamestown, Pennsylvania, USA, through 14 photos of surrounding landscapes. This intervention demonstrates how local geopolitical landscapes between two settler colonial nations perpetuate violence in the occupied Palestinian Territory (oPT), specifically through photos of “less-lethal munitions” in the West Bank and the site near the Pennsylvania manufacturer. While many scholars have demonstrated how US media and broader geopolitical discourses shape violence in everyday, intimate ways on bodies and people, this photo essay demonstrates how geopolitical violence and rhetoric manifest in everyday, local landscapes. Photos in this essay come from Aida Camp in the occupied West Bank outside of Bethlehem and rural Ohio and Pennsylvania, USA, on the route to where Combined Systems, Inc. manufactures rubber bullets, tear gas canisters, and other “less-lethal munitions and launching systems” deployed by the Israeli Security Force (ISF) in Aida.

Police Image Restoration: A Case Study of the Stampede (Crowd Crisis) at Kanjuruhan Malang

On October 1 2022, 131 people died in a "riot" at the Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, East Java. The riot occurred after Persebaya silenced Arema, the host football group. Arema supporters, who did not accept the defeat, then rushed into the stadium, so that the police (Polri) who were on guard at the location, dispersed the crowd by spraying tear gas, leaving the exit doors tightly closed, thus triggering massive panic. What happened in Kanjuruhan was an example of a stampede or crowd crisis which created chaotic conditions to the point that many were found dead. The aftermath of the tragedy was the erosion of public trust in the National Police institution. This research outlines the image restoration strategy of the National Police in overcoming the Kanjuruhan stampede, using Bennoit's Image Restoration theory. This qualitative research uses descriptive analysis to explain this phenomenon. The research results show that strategies to improve the image of the National Police, including denial, evading responsibility, reducing effectiveness, corrective action, mortification, have in fact proven to be ineffective. Because, this strategy failed to boost the institution's positive image. Thus, public trust in this institution has collapsed to this day.

The private harms of detention: why Serco’s violence is not criminalised

ABSTRACT Immigration detention centres in Australia have been managed by corporations for the Commonwealth government for the last 25 years. Complaints of officers’ violence, including the use of tear gas and batons on detainees, have continued throughout. In recent years, reports suggest that officers tend to use force as a first resort to manage detainees’ conduct and routinely handcuff detainees for medical and other appointments outside detention. This article is titled ‘the private harms of detention’ not because officers’ use of force in detention is always hidden, but because few officers have faced criminal prosecution. I argue that flaws in the design and operation of risk assessments unduly heighten the risks posed by detainees. By justifying a greater level of force as reasonable, risk assessments mitigate the potential for officers to be held criminally culpable, and thereby diminish understandings of the seriousness of officers’ harmful use of force. The privatised nature of detention and ongoing controversy over the extent of power private detention operators should wield make it important to explore how such actors might influence forums of accountability.

Kanjuruhan tragedy in the New York Times: A critical discourse analysis

AbstractOn October 1, 2022, the Kanjuruhan Football Tragedy in Malang, Indonesia, marked a poignant event, drawing significant media coverage, particularly by The New York Times. This incident, involving the police, supporters, and the government, unfolded amidst complex dynamics of action and response. This paper aims to dissect the media portrayal of these entities, examining the nuances of representation in news narratives. Adopting Van Leeuwen's (2008) Critical Discourse Analysis framework, the study employs a qualitative methodology to analyze how Social Actors are depicted through inclusion and exclusion strategies, alongside the portrayal of Social Actions through action and reaction approaches. The analysis of The New York Times' coverage reveals that the police were frequently portrayed as the enforcers of security, often resorting to measures like firing tear gas, while the supporters were depicted as reacting to these measures and significantly impacted by the tragedy. The government was represented as the overarching authority, responsible for managing the situation and its aftermath. This study uncovers a multi-layered narrative in the news discourse, highlighting the complexity of representing different actors in high-impact events. It concludes that media narratives in such scenarios are intricate, often shaped by the interplay of various actors' roles and actions. The findings emphasize the need for comprehensive discourse analysis in understanding media representations, suggesting future research should extend the scope of analysis by integrating broader elements from Van Leeuwen’s framework and other Critical Discourse Analysis theories to gain deeper insights into media portrayals in similar situations.

Punishment of the Kanjuruhan Commotion due to Negligence from the Perspective of Causality Theory

Punishment results in Kanjuruhan in Indonesian football matches, to guarantee the protection of fundamental rights. The Kanjuruhan incident had a detrimental impact, causing fans' dissatisfaction (Aremania) at the defeat. The end of the match caused the crowd to come down the field, to express their disappointment. Tools in research use doctrinal law which is specifically of the normative type. This research uses literature study by collecting legal principles, legal rules, regulations, doctrine, theories, legal dictionaries which are based on legal literacy. The achievement results are to understand necessity, harmony and intentionality. How to work scientifically with research activities, using doctrinal laws. Specification of normative legal methods using positive law, context and literature. The research approach uses laws (positive law) and a case approach (Kanjuruhan commotions). The results and discussions revealed the verdict, in accordance with decision 13/Pid.B/2023/PN Sby deciding that the defendant was acquitted. Legal efforts were taken by the public prosecutor (JPU) in case 922/K/Pid/2023, to cancel the previous decision. The Supreme Judge assessed that a violation of Article 359 in conjunction with Article 360 of Law Number 1/1946 concerning Criminal Law Regulations had occurred, causing negligence resulting in death. The causality of this case was when security forces (police) fired tear gas into the spectator stands, due to the behavior of anarchist (Aremania) supporters who came down the field.

Pharmacologic Inhibition of Transient Receptor Potential Ion Channel Ankyrin 1 Counteracts 2-Chlorobenzalmalononitrile Tear Gas Agent-Induced Cutaneous Injuries.

Deployment of the tear gas agent 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (CS) for riot control has significantly increased in recent years. The effects of CS have been believed to be transient and benign. However, CS induces severe pain, blepharospasm, lachrymation, airway obstruction, and skin blisters. Frequent injuries and hospitalizations have been reported after exposure. We have identified the sensory neuronal ion channel, transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1), as a key CS target resulting in acute irritation and pain and also as a mediator of neurogenic inflammation. Here, we examined the effects of pharmacologic TRPA1 inhibition on CS-induced cutaneous injury. We modeled CS-induced cutaneous injury by applying 10 μl CS agent [200 mM in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)] to each side of the right ears of 8- to 9-week-old C57BL/6 male mice, whereas left ears were applied with solvent only (DMSO). The TRPA1 inhibitor HC-030031 or A-967079 was administered after CS exposure. CS exposure induced strong tissue swelling, plasma extravasation, and a dramatic increase in inflammatory cytokine levels in the mouse ear skin. We also showed that the effects of CS were not transient but caused persistent skin injuries. These injury parameters were reduced with TRPA1 inhibitor treatment. Further, we tested the pharmacologic activity of advanced TRPA1 antagonists in vitro. Our findings showed that TRPA1 is a crucial mediator of CS-induced nociception and tissue injury and that TRPA1 inhibitors are effective countermeasures that reduce key injury parameters when administered after exposure. Additional therapeutic efficacy studies with advanced TRPA1 antagonists and decontamination strategies are warranted. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: 2-Chlorobenzalmalononitrile (CS) tear gas agent has been deployed as a crowd dispersion chemical agent in recent times. Exposure to CS tear gas agents has been believed to cause transient acute toxic effects that are minimal at most. Here we found that CS tear gas exposure causes both acute and persistent skin injuries and that treatment with transient receptor potential ion channel ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) antagonists ameliorated skin injuries.

Keabsahan Bertindak Menurut Penilaian Sendiri Anggota Polisi Terhadap Pengamanan Massa Suporter Sepak Bola

The Kanjuruhan Tragedy Is the second biggest tragedy in the world, this tragedy killed 134 (one hundred and thirty-four) people, and this tragedy occurred because of the shooting of 45 shots of tear gas by the police. Security Regulation as a tool that may not enter the stadium area, while the Republic of Indonesia Police also has its own rules regarding tear gas to control the masses, the difference between these rules will be discussed in this article, regarding the legitimacy of the use of tear gas itself because in the rules there is an opacity of laws and rules that should be used in a football match, the method used in this article is a normative juridical method, namely reviewing legal aspects, principles, rules, doctrines, and others. This research contains a study of law that is conceptualized as a norm or rule that is applied to the social sphere.

Two case reports of fatal injuries sustained from tear gas guns loaded with pebbles as missiles.

These two case reports are of fatal injuries from less-lethal weapons (tear gas guns) using pebbles as an unconventional ammunition. Reported here are the fatal outcomes of two 19-year-old males, one with head trauma and the other with abdominal trauma. They were admitted to the ED and subjected to immediate exploratory operations, but they passed away. On autopsy, the first case demonstrated a right frontal bone fracture with subdural hemorrhage and a 3 × 2.5cm pebble retained in the skull. The second case showed severe liver laceration in close vicinity to a cubical pebble (3.2 × 3cm). The mechanical forces involved in skull fracture and autopsy are discussed. In the current cases, the relatively larger weight and size together with the surface configuration of the pebble projectile were the main influential factors that contributed to the severity of damage and fatality.These case reports are a working example of the effect of the mass of projectiles in increasing the power of penetration. The direct shooting to the head and the abdomen together with the misuse of these weapons are capable of inflicting fatal injuries.

Social Outbreak in Chile, and Its Association with the Effects Biological, Psychological, Social, and Quality of Life

The World Health Organization has defined collective violence as the instrumental use of violence by people who identify themselves as members of a group against other individuals and have political, economic, or social objectives. In Chile, the “Social Outbreak” was used to describe an episode of collective violence, which began on October 18, 2019, triggered by a multitude of socioeconomic and political factors, with protests and mobilizations in the country’s large and small cities; in central, commercial, and residential areas, that lasted for several months, affecting a large part of the population. The objective of the present study was to associate the social outbreak in Chile with its biological, psychological, and social effects on people’s health and quality of life, as well as its characteristics in terms of exposure, proximity, type, and frequency. This was a cross-sectional study with non-probabilistic national-level sampling, conducted from 28 November 2019, to 3 March 2020. The instrument had four sections. A total of 2651 participants answered the survey; 70.8% were female, and the mean age was 35.2. The main disturbances perceived were protests (70.9%), alarm sounds (68.1%), shooting sounds (59.0%), and tear gas bombs (56.9%). When quantifying the magnitude of these associations, people who had a medium exposure have a higher probability (OR: 1.99, CI: 1.58; 2.50) of suffering three or more biological effects than people that have a low exposure, while people with higher exposition have a 4.09 times higher probability (CI: 3.11; 5.38). A similar pattern was observed regarding psychological effects, although social effects were primarily experienced by those with high exposure. Social networks, TV, and radio were the most used media among people who perceived a greater effect. People who lived, worked, or shopped near the disturbance’s areas show a higher proportion negative effect.

Nonivamide inhibits proliferation of human corneal epithelial cells by inducing cell cycle arrest and oxidative stress

Nonivamide, an agonist of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1), is widely used as a riot control agent, police incapacitant spray and pesticide. Although generally considered non-fatal, eye discomfort and even ocular injuries caused by such products are common. Little research has been conducted on the effects of nonivamide on corneal epithelial cells. Cell viability, impedance, flow cytometry, western blotting, and real-time fluorescence analyses were performed to investigate the effects of nonivamide on human corneal epithelial cells (HCE-T cells). We found that nonivamide impaired proliferation at subtoxic doses (100 μM and 200 μM) in HCE-T cells. Next, we described the mechanisms of action of nonivamide. Nonivamide caused cell cycle arrest by increasing p21 and decreasing cyclin D1. TRPV1 was activated by nonivamide, leading to an influx of Ca2+. Enhanced Ca2+ influx partially contributed to oxidative stress. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) also decreased. All combined stress resulted in the inhibition of cell proliferation in HCE-T cells. In summary, nonivamide inhibited the proliferation of HCE-T cells at sub-toxic doses by inducing cell cycle arrest and oxidative stress. Our data demonstrate the corneal toxicity of nonivamide and explain the mechanisms underlying nonivamide-induced corneal injury.

Sentiment Analysis of the Public Towards the Kanjuruhan Tragedy with the Support Vector Machine Method

A tragedy occurred in the Indonesian football world during the Arema vs. Persebaya match on October 1, 2022, resulting in the loss of approximately 714 lives, including 131 fatalities and 583 injuries. The tragedy is believed to have been caused by tear gas in the spectator stands and the closure of exits at the Kanjuruhan stadium. This event sparked a diverse range of public responses on social media, which can be analyzed through sentiment analysis. In this study, we employed the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm, known for its speed and accuracy in text classification, to process and analyze tweets from October 1 to 31, 2022, as well as YouTube comments related to the Kanjuruhan tragedy from October 1 to November 20, 2022. Among the different SVM kernels, the RBF kernel exhibited the highest accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 scores, reaching 76.40%, 75.74%, 76.40%, and 75.18% respectively, when predicting data with three labels. Furthermore, the RBF kernel showed the best performance for data with two labels, achieving the highest accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-Score, which increased to 81.54%, 81.56%, 81.54%, and 81.56%, respectively.

Protection rights for football supporters: learning from the tragedy at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Indonesia

PurposeFootball supporters have safety and security guarantees, but protection rights abuses in the Kanjuruhan Indonesia stadium tragedy. This study aims to create a design regulation to protect the protection rights of football supporters in the world.Design/methodology/approachThis is a socio-legal study. The law, cases and conceptual methods are the research methodologies. The process of collecting data uses a literature review. The gathered facts and information are next examined both qualitatively and descriptively.FindingsThe tragedy that occurred at the Kanjuruhan Stadium is the worst tragedy of Indonesian football. The key factor behind the tragedy was the mechanism for securing football matches regulated in the acts and regulations in Indonesia, which were out of sync and contrary to Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) regulations. The Indonesian National Police Regulation (Perkapolri) permits the use of firearms, tear gas and force, whereas this is actually prohibited by the FIFA Stadium Safety and Security Regulation (FSSSR). In this tragedy, protection rights abuses occurred. Then, the Indonesian Sport Act (ISA) 2022 does not yet regulate crucial matters, especially safety and security in sports competitions to protect players, referees, spectators/supporters and other match organizers.Research limitations/implicationsThis study examines various regulations relating to sports, especially football matches with a focus on studies in Indonesia.Practical implicationsThe results of this research help realize protection rights for football supporters and create designs regulation to protect protection rights for football supporters worldwide.Social implicationsThe design regulation recommended in this study is useful for preventing disasters in football and protecting football supporters, players, referees and parties in matches from acts of violence.Originality/valueLearning from the Kanjuruhan tragedy, to prevent this from happening again, the adoption of the FSSSR into Indonesian legislation, created the Safety of Sports Grounds Act and the establishment of the Indonesian Football Policing Unit are recommendations that need to be considered.

Criminal Liability Against Police Negligence for the Shooting of Tear Gas in Kanjuruhan Causing Victims

Based on Roscoe Pound's opinion, the notion of criminal responsibility is a person's obligation to pay retribution that will be received by the perpetrator from someone who has been harmed (the victim). Criminal liability is a person's responsibility for the crimes he commits. The purpose of criminal liability is to determine whether a person who has committed a crime can be held accountable or not. This article will discuss criminal liability for police negligence for the act of shooting tear gas at the Kanjuruhan stadium, where the negligence of the police was due to a lack of caution and carelessness in acting using force in police actions. Namely not being careful and acting without considering the risks in using chemical weapons in the form of tear gas. The use of tear gas should be guided by the principles stipulated in the Police Chief Regulation No. 1 of 2009 concerning the Use of Force in Police Actions. However, in practice the police were negligent and ignored the risks of using tear gas at the Kanjuruhan stadium. The form of the mistake is acting without considering the dangers and threats, and not predicting the possible consequences that will occur. Because his negligence in using tear gas at the Kanjuruhan Stadium had a detrimental impact on other people and on the Indonesian National Police, namely causing deaths and injuries. Due to the Kanjuruhan incident, many of the victims' families have asked for justice for the police's actions in the tear gas shooting at the Kanjuruhan stadium, so that the police actions in the tear gas shooting are considered to be the triggers for the deaths and injuries that need to be held criminally accountable.