62 ing to increased tension or provoking a violent reaction, and erodes the perceived legitimacy of law enforcement authorities. What monitors should observe and record • In what circumstances was the protective equipment used? • With what kind of protective equipment were officers equipped? • If officers were wearing full protective equipment, for how long were they deployed? Did they have access to drinking water? • Was certain equipment deployed in response to acts of violence or escalating tension, or was all of the equipment deployed in advance of the gathering? Did different officers or units have different protective equipment? • Was protective equipment used as a weapon (e.g., to strike protesters or bystanders)? If shields were used to strike protesters, were the flat sides or the edges used? • Did law enforcement officers use protective equipment in an intimidating way (e.g., by beating shields with batons)? • Were law enforcement officers adequately protected from violent acts? • Were law enforcement officers identifiable, for example, by means of visible, unique ID numbers on protective helmets? Illustrative examples of health and human rights implications In 2014, riot police used force against a peaceful protest against mass redundancies outside the Ministry of Finance in an OSCE participating State. Some of the participants were cleaning workers, mostly women 45 to 60 years of age, who had been laid off by the Ministry. The protesters reportedly posed no threat, and there was no risk that they would gain entry to the Ministry building, but police kicked them and struck them with their riot shields to disperse them. Reportedly, many protesters were left bruised, and three received hospital treatment after being “severely beaten” by police. It was reported that, in 2017, police responded to peaceful protests in two cities in an OSCE participating State with excessive force. Protesters, human rights defenders and lawyers in both cities told a major human rights NGO that police officers’ badges were covered by bulletproof vests and they ignored requests to identify themselves. The organization reported that this is a frequent occurrence at public gatherings in the OSCE participating State, seriously obstructing police accountability for beatings and other ill-treatment.