‘We want truth about CR gas’

national | rights, freedoms and repression | other press Wednesday August 23, 2006 13:30 by Ciarån Barnes - Daily Ireland 23 August 2006

Former Long Kesh prisoners demand facts about chemical used to quell riot

by Ciarån Barnes Daily Ireland 23 August 2006

The British government is coming under renewed pressure to reveal if it used a controversial gas on republican prisoners during a prison riot 32 years ago.

The Ministry of Defence has always denied using CR gas, a known carcinogen, on inmates during the burning of Long Kesh in October 1974.

More than 300 prisoners were affected by the gas fired from helicopters. It’s claimed that around a fifth of this number have since died or are suffering from unexplained cancers.

Did British troops use carcinogenic gas on Republican prisoners in 1974

Inmates have always maintained that CR gas, which is ten times stronger than CS gas, was used against them.

Although admitting CR gas was kept in Long Kesh and that it was authorised for use in the North in 1973, the British government still denies using the deadly toxin during the prison riot.

Over the past four weeks Daily Ireland has spoken to three former British soldiers who served in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal regiment that was sent into Long Kesh to take on the republican rioters.

Two of the ex-soldiers, who asked for their identities to be kept secret and who were among the soldiers who fought with the prisoners, confirmed that an “unknown” gas was used.

The third soldier, Lawrence Finnegan, was posted to Long Kesh shortly after the riot occurred.

He said that although he did not have any knowledge of CR gas being used “this is not to say it did not happen”.

The soldiers’ frank admissions has heaped more pressure on the British government to admit the gas, which the US army refuses to employ because of its links to cancer, was used in Long Kesh.

Former IRA prisoner Jim McCann, who was one of those gassed, said the British soldiers’ statements confirm what he has known all along.

“The prisoners were used as guinea pigs to test CR gas.
“More than 50 men, including many who led healthy lifestyles, have since died or are suffering from cancer,” said Mr McCann.

“Now that we have British soldiers all but admitting CR gas was used the Ministry of Defence should do the same and end the cover-up.”

On its official website, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal regiment admits encountering “friendly fire” while fighting with the prisoners.

This is a reference to the gas canisters fired from British army helicopters that hovered above the Long Kesh football pitches, the scene of the most intense fighting.

One of the soldiers who spoke to Daily Ireland said he witnessed men “dropping like flies” when the gas canisters were launched.

“I can tell you now, because I have seen CS gas being used and that wasn’t CS which was fired from the helicopters.”
“I don’t know what it was, we weren’t told and we didn’t ask questions.

“Really, it [the gas] was unknown to us, but it made those boys [the prisoners] drop like flies.

“A couple of our own ones were affected. One guy told me he felt as if he was drowning.”

This is the same memory Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, who was in Long Kesh at the time, had of the effects of the gas. The controversy over the use of CR gas in the jail came about after Labour MPs Ken Livingstone and Kevin McNamara asked a series of questions in the House of Commons.

Prisoners who were affected are now mounting a legal challenge against the British government under international human rights law.

The Long Kesh riot began after a dispute between the inmates and authorities over visits, food and compassionate parole. Republicans burnt 21 of the compounds used to house internees.

In the weeks after the riot blood samples were taken from all the prisoners affected by the gas. The British government has refused to make these samples available to the prisoners or their legal representatives.