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On the frontline against chemical warfare

Chemical weapons expert Hamish de Bretton-Gordon has smuggled himself across borders, braved bombs, bullets and even the Islamic State group investigating chemical weapons.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon is a British chemical weapons expert whose work in Syria has attracted global attention. But working in a warzone is dangerous and not only has Hamish had to smuggle himself into countries, he's faced bombs, bullets and even the Islamic State group in order to investigate and document chemical warfare. Hamish has written a book called Chemical Warrior: Saving Lives on the Front Line of Modern Warfare.

If you visited the controversial Atlantis commune in Southern Colombia back in the 1990s, you鈥檇 have probably heard some disturbing noises. The group practised primal screaming, a form of psychotherapy which seeks to address childhood pain. The commune had started in London, founded by a therapist called Jenny James. They鈥檇 made the move to South America to be closer to nature, and they鈥檇 settled on a forested area of Colombia controlled by left wing Farc guerrillas. At first Atlantis coexisted with the Farc, but as the Colombian civil war intensified the guerrillas became more hostile, and when violence broke out it pulled the commune apart. Outlook鈥檚 Faye Planer went to visit the commune鈥檚 remaining members.

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Picture: Hamish de Bretton-Gordon
Credit: Hamish de Bretton-Gordon

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44 minutes

Last on

Wed 28 Oct 2020 03:06GMT

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