23.1.05
Guardian
Secret gas was issued for IRA prison riots
Craig Morrison and Martin Bright
Sunday January 23, 2005
The Observer
The British government secretly authorised the use of a chemical riot control agent, fired from aerosols, water cannon or dropped from the air, to be used in prisons at the height of the Northern Ireland troubles, The Observer can reveal.
Papers from 1976 released under the government's freedom of information legislation show that the use of 'CR' or Dibenzoxazepine- a skin irritant 10 times more powerful than other tear gases - was permitted from 1973 to be used on prison inmates in the event of an attempted mass breakout.
The documents show that the authorisation was so sensitive that officials involved in organising training with the chemical were told: 'All concerned should be told of the consequences of idle talk.'
The man behind this instruction (in a document from 16 March, 1976, marked 'Secret - UK Eyes A', one of the highest levels of classification) was David B. Omand, a senior official in the Ministry of Defence. As Sir David Omand, he later became head of security and intelligence at the Cabinet Office, one of the most senior posts in Whitehall. He retires this year. The documents show he believed trials should begin immediately 'to correct defects and weaknesses already noted'.
News of the disclosures will further inflame the controversy over the alleged use of the chemical on 16 October, 1974, to quell rioting at Long Kesh (renamed the Maze), something ministers have always refused to discuss. The prison held some of the most prominent IRA men, including Gerry Adams. More than 50 of the prisoners at Long Kesh who claim to have been sprayed with the chemical have died or have developed cancerous illnesses.
The documents confirm that ministers ordered the chemical agent to be moved to prisons in Northern Ireland from July 1974.
Jim McCann, who was in the Maze between 1973 and 1981, has led a campaign for full disclosure of the use of what amounted to a chemical weapon.
'I'll never forget it, there were grown men screaming for their mothers,' he said. 'We'd all had experience in CS gas, which was easy to avoid, but this was something different, you couldn't get away from it. I felt like I was on fire. They just decided to experiment on us like we were guinea pigs.'
Sinn Fein spokesman Richard McAuley, who was also at Long Kesh at the time of the riot, said the chemical had been dropped in capsules from a helicopter and sprayed by soldiers inside the prison.
'It was like a thick fog,' he said. 'People were being sick and their eyes were streaming. It was a very frightening experience. The truth of what happened should be told.'
The use of CR became a priority in 1976 when the government became concerned about a backlash in prison following the removal of 'special-category status' for IRA prisoners. This effectively meant they were no longer political prisoners and were reduced to the level of common criminals. Officials warned ministers that the decision would 'increase the probability of a mass escape considerably'.
The use of chemical weapons and riot gases were limited by international agreement and it was felt that it would further inflame republicans if they had found out.
Further notes from senior officials show that training was carried out in absolute secrecy in a secure training area, in case it raised suspicions. There was 'no way the public could find out about the intention to use chemicals'.
The documents show that Prime Minister James Callaghan authorised the use of the chemical agent at the Maze and Magilligan prisons in the form of an aerosol spray for the personal protection of prison officers and to be fired from water cannon in a device called 'Pigsquirt'. Subject to medical advice, he also authorised the use of a device called 'Pussycat' which fired a polyethylene capsule that threw liquid CR on rioters on impact with the security fence of a prison.
The effects of CR are similar to the more common riot control agent CS gas, except that it also induces intense pain to exposed skin. The affected areas remain sensitive for days and become painful again after contact with water.
Lieutentant-Colonel Nigel Wylde was in charge of a battery brought in as reinforcements to the Maze in the spring of 1977 because of tensions in the prison at the time, but told The Observer he knew nothing about the plans.
'I am incandescent that we were not told about this,' he added. 'We were not given protective clothing or told to bring any. I would expect as a commander of reinforcements brought in to deal with unrest to be told about this if it was part of any plan. My men were given no equipment to deal with it. Being caught in the middle without even gas masks, we would have been rendered useless.'
Secret gas was issued for IRA prison riots
Craig Morrison and Martin Bright
Sunday January 23, 2005
The Observer
The British government secretly authorised the use of a chemical riot control agent, fired from aerosols, water cannon or dropped from the air, to be used in prisons at the height of the Northern Ireland troubles, The Observer can reveal.
Papers from 1976 released under the government's freedom of information legislation show that the use of 'CR' or Dibenzoxazepine- a skin irritant 10 times more powerful than other tear gases - was permitted from 1973 to be used on prison inmates in the event of an attempted mass breakout.
The documents show that the authorisation was so sensitive that officials involved in organising training with the chemical were told: 'All concerned should be told of the consequences of idle talk.'
The man behind this instruction (in a document from 16 March, 1976, marked 'Secret - UK Eyes A', one of the highest levels of classification) was David B. Omand, a senior official in the Ministry of Defence. As Sir David Omand, he later became head of security and intelligence at the Cabinet Office, one of the most senior posts in Whitehall. He retires this year. The documents show he believed trials should begin immediately 'to correct defects and weaknesses already noted'.
News of the disclosures will further inflame the controversy over the alleged use of the chemical on 16 October, 1974, to quell rioting at Long Kesh (renamed the Maze), something ministers have always refused to discuss. The prison held some of the most prominent IRA men, including Gerry Adams. More than 50 of the prisoners at Long Kesh who claim to have been sprayed with the chemical have died or have developed cancerous illnesses.
The documents confirm that ministers ordered the chemical agent to be moved to prisons in Northern Ireland from July 1974.
Jim McCann, who was in the Maze between 1973 and 1981, has led a campaign for full disclosure of the use of what amounted to a chemical weapon.
'I'll never forget it, there were grown men screaming for their mothers,' he said. 'We'd all had experience in CS gas, which was easy to avoid, but this was something different, you couldn't get away from it. I felt like I was on fire. They just decided to experiment on us like we were guinea pigs.'
Sinn Fein spokesman Richard McAuley, who was also at Long Kesh at the time of the riot, said the chemical had been dropped in capsules from a helicopter and sprayed by soldiers inside the prison.
'It was like a thick fog,' he said. 'People were being sick and their eyes were streaming. It was a very frightening experience. The truth of what happened should be told.'
The use of CR became a priority in 1976 when the government became concerned about a backlash in prison following the removal of 'special-category status' for IRA prisoners. This effectively meant they were no longer political prisoners and were reduced to the level of common criminals. Officials warned ministers that the decision would 'increase the probability of a mass escape considerably'.
The use of chemical weapons and riot gases were limited by international agreement and it was felt that it would further inflame republicans if they had found out.
Further notes from senior officials show that training was carried out in absolute secrecy in a secure training area, in case it raised suspicions. There was 'no way the public could find out about the intention to use chemicals'.
The documents show that Prime Minister James Callaghan authorised the use of the chemical agent at the Maze and Magilligan prisons in the form of an aerosol spray for the personal protection of prison officers and to be fired from water cannon in a device called 'Pigsquirt'. Subject to medical advice, he also authorised the use of a device called 'Pussycat' which fired a polyethylene capsule that threw liquid CR on rioters on impact with the security fence of a prison.
The effects of CR are similar to the more common riot control agent CS gas, except that it also induces intense pain to exposed skin. The affected areas remain sensitive for days and become painful again after contact with water.
Lieutentant-Colonel Nigel Wylde was in charge of a battery brought in as reinforcements to the Maze in the spring of 1977 because of tensions in the prison at the time, but told The Observer he knew nothing about the plans.
'I am incandescent that we were not told about this,' he added. 'We were not given protective clothing or told to bring any. I would expect as a commander of reinforcements brought in to deal with unrest to be told about this if it was part of any plan. My men were given no equipment to deal with it. Being caught in the middle without even gas masks, we would have been rendered useless.'
