Shocking Attacks on Right to Assembly

Yuen Long protest organizer Max Chung's back following an attack in Tai Po

In Hong Kong, people have the right to freedom of speech. They have a right to freedom of assembly.

So why were two protest march organizers beaten up in broad daylight today.

Coincidence?

And why is there no outrage from the police or the government?

CHRF convenor Jimmy Sham before he was attacked

Civil Human Rights Front, that has organized some of the biggest marches this summer, on June 9 when 1 million people came out, June 16 when double that number turned out, and August 18 with 1.7 million in the pouring rain.

The group had applied for a protest march permit for this Saturday from Chater Garden in Central to the liaison office in Western district to mark the fifth anniversary of Beijing announcing a restrictive electoral reform package that was eventually rejected by Hong Kong.

Hong Kong police for the first time rejected both the rally and march with reasons laid out in a five-page letter. The force said the police, protesters, journalists and bystanders had sustained "serious injuries" following 22 marches and rallies since June, seven of which were organized by CHRF.

Sham's assistant sustained serious welts on his arms

"Protesters not only resort to violent acts, arson and road blockades, but also use petrol bombs, steel balls, bricks, lances, rods and other self-made weapons to vandalize public facilities on a large scale, committing a breach of the peace and leading to the injuries of others," the letter read.

In response, Bonnie Leung Wing-man, the front's vice-convenor, said the police were "declaring war on all peaceful protesters".

"The rally and march on August 31 were supposed to be another chance for the authorities to resolve the matter in a peaceful manner," she said. "It is the best offer, but they turned it down."

CHRF's convenor Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit said that by banning the application, the police showed the government didn't care to listen to the people.

"Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is the one pushing Hong Kong into an abyss. The people's voice cannot be blocked, it needs to be vented," he said.

August 18 protest organized by CHRF had 1.7 million people

Sham told the media CHRF would appeal the decision but was not optimistic.

Then around 12.50pm, Sham and his assistant were attacked by two men while eating in a cafe in Jordan in Kowloon. The men, who police say were not Chinese, wore face masks and one held a baseball bat, the other a rod. One tried to hit Sham, but his assistant Law Kwok-wai shielded him, bearing serious bruises on his forearms.

Cafe workers called police, but by the time they arrived, the attackers had fled.

Meanwhile another activist, Max Chung Kin-ping, who organized the July 27 Yuen Long protest was also attacked in Tai Po, while he was giving an interview to a reporter with Truth Media Hong Kong, an online news outlet.

Max Chung had been arrested for unlawful assembly

Chung had just been released by Tai Po police station after he was granted unconditional release. He and reporter Jeffrey Cheng were walking along Tai Wo Road when they felt they were being followed. When they turned around they saw four men described as being South Asian who started beating them up with metal rods and umbrellas.

Cheng told the assailants that he was a reporter and they stopped attacking him, but continued beating Chung, who sustained injuries on his back and arms. The reporter was bleeding from the lip. The entire attack lasted about two minutes and again the assailants fled before police arrived.

These brazen attacks in broad daylight are shocking, but also cowardly.

Who did them -- who ordered them?

WHY?

And why does the government not condemn these attacks at all? Much like the triads in Yuen Long who brandished metal rods and bamboo sticks, hitting innocent people in the MTR station?

These attacks will not scare protesters into submission. It only inspires more of them to stand up against these attacks.