Hong Kong police yesterday denied accusations their officers showed comparative lenience toward gangs of pro-Beijing men who attacked pro-democracy supporters during a weekend marked by multiple bloody street brawls.
The once stable territory has been convulsed by weeks of huge, sometimes violent rallies calling for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability.
On Sunday, riot police fired tear gas and water cannons at pro-democracy protesters who were hurling rocks and gasoline bombs, capping a 15th consecutive weekend of huge peaceful rallies followed by clashes.
Photo: AFP
However, there was also an uptick in bloody street fights, with people on both sides of the political divide finding themselves beaten.
At yesterday’s press conference, Hong Kong’s police displayed videos of multiple instances where individuals were attacked by pro-democracy supporters, including one where a man was kicked unconscious by a mob.
Pro-democracy activists were seen beating people in at least four separate locations throughout Sunday, with the unconscious man taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Photo: AFP
“The violence has again spiralled out of control and the situation is worrying,” Hong Kong Police Force spokesman, Superintendent John Tse (謝振中), told reporters.
“Many protesters took justice into their own hands and harshly assaulted people who were not on their side. We express the strongest condemnation against such reckless and ruthless violence,” he added.
However, the police presentation spent little time documenting or condemning attacks by government supporters that occurred on Saturday and Sunday in the districts of Fortress Hill and North Point, the latter a bastion of pro-Beijing sentiment where gangs have previously attacked their ideological opponents.
Social media lit up on Sunday evening as videos were posted of officers seemingly helping government supporters protect their identities or leave the scene.
One video showed two men being escorted by riot police repeatedly punch and kick reporters, with police seemingly not intervening, footage that sparked criticism from local press groups.
Many contrasted the footage with harsher treatment meted out to pro-democracy protesters when arrested.
However, the force denied it had exhibited any double standards.
“In terms of differential treatment, I must refute [that],” Tse told reporters, adding that police had arrested 29 people in North Point on Sunday night from both political camps.
He said the men who attacked the journalists were later arrested.
Throughout the last three months the police force has found itself become increasingly reviled among pro-democracy protesters, accused of deploying disproportionate force and failing to protect people from pro-government assailants.
The Junior Police Officers Association, which represents frontline officers, yesterday issued a statement saying police should use live rounds against Molotov cocktail throwers if they feel their life is in danger.
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