Riot Tact (National Geographic)

[aekiy]

(Reprinted without permission from National Geographic's June 2009 issue; unavailable on the Web site.)

After Israel invaded Gaza last winter, protests sprang up in Europe. Firebombs and tear gas were part of the mix-though not in Sweden, thanks to a new kind of crowd control

Comments

[heron61]

Dear gods that's brilliant. Far too often, police actively want to act like jack-booted thugs, its' wonderful to learn that not only is someone trying an alternative, but the alternative works vastly better.

[aekiy]

Yes. I am so very pleased. I don't do the LJ thing very much these days, but this struck me as an idea that needs to spread.

[kitten_goddess]

Wow! That is awesome! And it is so much better than "designated free speech zones" and other unconstitutional nonsense.

[aekiy]

The short article is accompanied by four photos of the same London police officer in different states of dress: the basic shirt and tie combination; adding the hat, coat, and communicator; then a mask and heavy coat; and finally, heavy gloves, armor, and riot helmet with transparent face plate. Which of these versions are you more likely to trust when you spot him in a crowd? Which ones might be more likely to insight panic and cause more harm than good?