The " Skunk " Option !

Skunks are not an animal native to Australia and they are generally feared in the parts of America that they inhabit.  Residents warn visitors to never startle a Skunk because they have an unusual defence mechanism that delivers a very unpleasant outcome.  Nature has endowed the Skunk with glands at it's rear end which allow it to stream an odorous fluid with great accuracy - and it's stench is almost unbelievable.  Both body and clothing coming into contact with this fluid retain this unpleasant smell for days - and there is no way to remove it other than the natural attrition of time.

We live in an age where science is probing nature to develop new products that they can evolve from the basic structures that exist on this planet and it seems that Israeli scientists have managed to recreate the formulae that Skunks use in their formidable defence system.  This has been added to the mix of water used in water cannons that regularly spray Palestinian protesters in disputed areas of territory.

The smell has been described as a mix between raw sewage and the rotting bodies of animals, and any Australian who has experienced the smell of roadkill on country roads on a hot summers day will know exactly what that smells like.   This chemical is non toxic and there have been no measureable side effects, hence it has been cleared for use by the Israeli civil authorities.  Now police forces in a number of countries are showing interest.

This opens up a whole new ball game when it comes to crowd control.  Becoming so contaminated delivers the prospect of financial loss.  Many claim that clothing never completely loses the offensive smell and the only real option is to totally discard it.  Then there is the problem of whether an offensive body smell can coexist in a work environment  ?   Certainly anyone working on food preparation and serving would have a problem, and those that work in an office or in public buildings might find that sanctions apply.

Of course, that is what has such a great appeal to civilian authorities considering it's use.  The objective is to stop people congregating and protesting some measure and the use of water cannon that delivers a lasting consequence is likely to reduce attendances.  That completely ignores the right of people to gather and demonstrate, and brands all such gatherings as both violent and illegal.  It extinguishes the right to peacefully protest !

No doubt the civil authorities would claim that it would only be used  when a public riot had got completely out of hand and the alternatives involved physical force and possible injury.  We already see the overspray that is usual when a small hard core of protesters resort to violence and the authorities become heavy handed in their response.   The residual smell could actually serve two purposes.  It could prove that any individual was actually present at the riot, and it could be used in court to prove that an innocent bystander suffered financial loss and humiliation as a result of excessive police actions.

From a military point of view, few new weapons systems fail to find their way onto the battlefields that exist across the world.  Poison gas was a horror in the first world war, and it was banished until recent events have seen various chemical weapons reappear on civilian targets. Governments would be well advised to think long and hard before allowing a "Skunk" spray to enter the police arsenal  !