Good to know. I’ll copy it here just to make sure we still have it if Twitter deletes these comments. (I’m not sure — how common is that? Also, should I have copied the pictures, too?)
In Palestine, first thing we do under fire is identify the type of weapons israeli cops/soldiers are holding. This defines your strategy for resisting + trying to be safe. Here’s a thread on identifying weaponry for those out there fighting across Turtle Island♥️
PEPPER SPRAY The most common is handheld from bottles that are handheld to fire extinguisher sized. The spray is usually white or orange. Attaching images of police using pepperspray in Memphis, Minneapolis & Boston. Also Defense Technology’s line of peppersprays.
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DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEPPER SPRAY
- Pepperball pellets shot from a gun. Attached photo shows it used in Denver (the gun usually has a compartment above)
- Backpacks with a hose that sprays pepperspray
- Pepper fog generators (looks like a leaf blower)
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STUN GRENADES (flash-bang grenades) These are usually hand activated - you’ll see them pull a pin out and throw it. Some of the circular rubber ball ones also release pellets. Attaching pics of different types of stun grenades.
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Stun grenades sometimes don’t go off when they’ve been fired/released. Be careful picking them up because they can seriously hurt you if they haven’t gone off. Here is the Stinger flashbang grenade in DC.
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In general (non-pellet) stun grenades are used to put you in shock. When u see them released, turn around to protect face from any small shrapnel, close your eyes, & cup your ears (don’t close ears with one finger). Don’t hold your breath or you’ll feel intense pressure.
israeli soldiers sometimes use stun grenades to thin out a crowd & then go in & arrest people. They know that people with experience won’t run from stun grenades. Keep that in mind because israel trains US police & they may be using same strategies. Useful graphic from Seattle.
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DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROJECTILES
- Rubber bullets
- Plastic batons
- Sponge batons
- Ballistic bags
- Impact rounds
They can cause bruising to internal bleeding to losing eyes. Def can be lethal. Made by companies like Combined Technologies & Nonlethal Technologies.
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What folks in LA and elsewhere were taking pics of (attached tweet) looks like the Nonlethal Technologies Impact Batons which are fired out of 37mm cartridges that release 3 hard rubber batons at once. https://nitter.net/pic/https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FEZTbYKfUwAAK1OG.jpg
SPONGE BATONS They can break bones. Many Palestinian kids have lost eyes to it & in 2016 a 10 year old was killed by it. You can see what the gun usually looks like in attached image. The sponge & black-plastic part is what is fired, & the metal shell is left behind.
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Dallas police have the sponge baton guns in yellow (attached image from June 1). Often they’re black. I believe the gun can always only hold 1 or 2 batons that are shot 1 at a time [but always feel free to correct - I’m not an expert & lowkey hate how much I know about this shit]
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Sponge batons are usually easy to identify because cops will wear a belt like in this photo of israeli police. With sponge baton, like most of “nonlethal” projectiles, u usually have 1-2 secs from when u hear the shot b4 you’re hit. Turn, bow, & use arms to protect head/neck.
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The long cylindrical batons in linked tweet are baton rounds often made of metal & covered with plastic. I’ve never seen these ones used firsthand but like most projectiles of this size I think they’re shot from a 37/38/40mm launcher that looks like these
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Identifying what exactly is being shot by looking at the gun of these types of projectiles is pretty much impossible because so many different things can be inside these cylindrical shells (see pics). Good thing is your response to these is the same: turn, bow, protect neck/head.
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Take a bow away from shooters & protect ur neck/head with your arms but DO NOT CROUCH/GET DOWN. Theyre supposed to fire these at leg level & getting down could just expose ur head. Again, u usually have 1 sec to do this (unlike live ammo which hits by the time u hear the shot)
There is an added worry with weapons like these that shoot multiple rubber pellets/bullets from one canister: their trajectory is unpredictable. Unlike projectiles shot one at a time, these scatter.
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I don’t know enough about US police weaponry but in Palestine, these small rubber bullets are actually fully steel with thin plastic & you can identify the gun by an extra long attachment on the barrel (these pics are of israeli weapons in Palestine). 15~ are shot at a time.
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This is the other type of rubber bullet we’re familiar with in Palestine. Cylindrical. The gun that fires them (pictured) shoots one at a time. They’re more forceful than the spherical ones in last tweet. idk - are people seeing these in the US?
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Before I move onto teargas - want to clarify that for all these projectiles, best thing u can do is take cover because u usually (as long as they’re not too close) have 1-2 secs to do so. If there’s nothing to protect u around, that’s when u bow away & protect your head w/hands.
TEARGAS In terms of ID-ing teargas canisters: they can be short or long cylindrical metal canisters - or spherical rubber balls. See pics.
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The short metal canisters are fired 3-6 at a time & scatter. The longer & spherical ones are usually fired one at a time
As I explain in this previous thread, for teargas what you really need is AIR - not water or milk etc. You should not run in gas unless ur close to a place where gas is not present (upwind of it). Otherwise you could make yourself pass out as you run.
For ex, the red gas shell here contains 5 smaller teargas canisters that spread out when shot, cover more ground & release gas 10-25 secs: https://www.defense-technology.com/products/chemical-agent-devices/chemical-projectiles/pyrotechnic/37-mm-projectiles/skat-shell-37-mm-multiple-projectile-round-cn-1012241.html#start=1 The blue gas shell contains a single teargas grenade (pictured, no text) & lasts 20-40 secs https://www.defense-technology.com/products/chemical-agent-devices/chemical-projectiles/pyrotechnic/40-mm-projectiles/spede-heat-40-mm-long-range-round-cs-1011892.html#q=spede+heat&start=1
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They should fire teargas angled up so it arcs down (video from Montreal). In this case: watch them shoot, dodge/see where it lands so u don’t get hit, then A) move upwind if nearby or B) get down, cover face w/scarf, breathe slow into scarf til it passes
If they’re shooting teargas directly at face level or from short distances - as they do in Salt Lake in this video - this can literally kill you and is super fucked up & illegal. (this could be the green seat-shell OC gas mentioned a couple tweets back)
Identifying the guns that shoot teargas can be hard because from what I know the same gun can shoot a wide range of different projectiles. Police will often use some identifiers like a different coloured barrel to differentiate & you have to get familiar with your local PD.
Haven’t seen these in US pics yet but the israeli army uses these round rubber teargas grenades that when shot go off circularly like a ballon losing air so they’re hard to dodge. Look exactly like some stun grenades seen in US that release rubber pellets so careful picking up.
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FYI this is protester knowledge aka unless you’re the one buying & deploying the weapons you never 100% know what they’re going to do. Us sharing info is harm reduction not foolproof protection! Be careful & remember they often try new weapons, strategies & break their own laws.
Some teargas launchers look like this (pic is from Canada RCMP). This holds multiple canisters and is visible from far away. These can hold many types of diff projectiles. What u need to know: with these they won’t have to reload between shots, unlike single/double cartridge guns
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BEAN BAGS Going back to explain this one because it’s been seen in San Jose, Austin, Spokane & Tampa. Fabric bag filled w/lead shot that emerges from a canister when fired. Can cause serious injury if it hits neck/face/stomach & has caused a few deaths.
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Beanbag gun is usually modified w/yellow, green, or orange markings. You have to figure out what your particular PD does. Like other “nonlethal” projectiles, either take cover or turn & bow away -protect head/neck & stomach! Use things as shields. Pics of Palestinians doing it🙂:
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(back to) PEPPER SPRAY Notice how in this video the cop sprays the journalist w/out warning or even looking. SUPER COMMON STRATEGY. I’ve seen them do it this way so many times they must have a pact. If u see a cop holding pepperspray announce to everyone.
SOUND CANNONS (LRADs) Talk of them in NYC. Emits an incredibly loud targeted-direction sound --causing vertigo, disorientedness, nausea & from too close - permanent ear damage. Ear plugs help a bit but tbh not much. They reach 300metres forward so u can’t really run from it but you can try to get out of its range. It’s tragectory is about 30 degrees like in this pic. You’re more likely to get out of its range if u go left/right than if you try to get far away. This targeted range is why police can stand right behind & beside it & not be affected.
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This linked thread on sound cannons is very helpful/detailed! Especially what it says about not trusting police to use it the “safe” way. My experience w/these has always been from at least 60~ metres back & it’s been disturbing & dizzying, but manageable.
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Highly upsetting, but thank you palestinian comrade and OP for sharing. :raised fist:
