The Greek government is reportedly deploying sound cannons to repel illegal migrants attempting to force its land border or reach its territory by boat.
The Mediterranean country has already deployed two Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs) along the Maritsa river in the province Alexandroupolis, according to reports, and will be used to deter mobs massing at the border fence as well as attempted waterborne crossings.
The sonic devices are designed to focus high-decibel “beams” which create a painful and disorienting noise on targets, dispersing hostile or otherwise unlawful crowds or encouraging small groups or individuals to back off from sensitive buildings, ships, and other areas, without the need for batons, rubber bullets, or water cannons.
They have previously been deployed to protect American embassies and naval vessels, and to help bring rioters under control on the U.S. mainland in Ferguson, Missouri, and other locations.
The Greeks have been working hard to extend their border fences and reinforce them with trenches, increased manpower, and more, over the course of the year, after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan began driving tens of thousands of migrants to the Greek land border in order to put pressure on the European Union.
The Greeks allege that the Turkish authorities transported many of the migrants to border on trains and unmarked buses, some of them freed prisoners, and that Turkish personnel actively assisted their violent efforts to cross the frontier by arming them with tear gas, showering Greek border guards with tear gas themselves, and using heavy vehicles to tear down portions of the border fence.
German intelligence agencies later confirmed an even more active role in the violence on the part of Turkey, reporting that its Islamist government had incited violence on the border by planting members of its security services among the migrants as agents provocateurs.
The crisis only petered out when the Chinese coronavirus pandemic began to take hold in the region, prompting Erdogan to call a halt on the proceedings — but his government has vowed that migrants will return to the border once the virus abates.
The reported sound cannon deployment in Greece comes as LRAD maker Genasys Inc, formerly the LRAD Corporation and the American Technology Corporation before that, posts a record fiscal year, buoyed by a 30 per cent increase in sales to U.S. law enforcement sales — driven, perhaps, by the Black Lives Matter disorder and lockdown protests which have swept the country this year.
“More and more agencies are realizing LRAD’s versatility for multiple public safety applications,” commented Genasys chief executive Richard Danforth.
“By clearly communicating alerts, warnings and instructions, LRAD is helping resolve uncertain situations and enhancing safety for both the public and law enforcement,” he added.