Why police used pink-dyed water to spay Azimio protesters
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Police on Thursday, March 30, used water cannons to spray protesters with pink-dyed water during the Azimio-led protests in Pipeline, Nairobi
Police on Thursday, March 30, used water cannons to spray protesters with pink-dyed water during the Azimio-led protests in Pipeline, Nairobi.
Police sometimes use some products to quickly identify demonstrators after being sprayed with colored liquid, which is a trend seen in many nations around the world.
One of the earliest known instances of pink dye being used in water cannons was in 1997 when police in South Korea and Indonesia used it to disperse protesters.
People protested the introduction of a measure that altered the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, which would have allowed the extradition of Hong-Kongers to mainland China if they committed a crime, at the time of the anti-China demonstrations in Hong Kong.
Apart from pink, other usual colours used in water cannons are blue and purple.
In 2019 and 2020, Hong Kong police officers used blue-dyed water to identify and detain protesters.
The stain and difficulty in washing off help the police spot protestors hours after the protest.
In Africa, dyed water has deterred South Africa, Egypt, and Uganda protesters.
One of the most prominent uses was in South Africa in September 1989 during anti-apartheid protests.
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The protest rallying cry was “The Purple Shall Govern” after anti-apartheid protestors took control of the water cannon and sprayed purple water on the ruling party’s offices.
Instead of dyed water, some water cannons have sprayed chili water that irritates the skin.
In 2019, Chilean police were accused of using caustic soda in water sprayed on water cannons to have an itchy effect on the skin of protestors.
However, they denied the allegation.
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