Escalated Violence by Hong Kong Police

Hundreds gathered in Victoria Park for a rally that soon became a corral

The police gave a no-objection letter to a rally in Victoria Park for candidates running in the upcoming district council elections in November 24. Hundreds of people showed up, many in black, some bundled up prepared to battle the police later.

People had been encouraged to make their way to Central, either Edinburgh Place or Chater Garden, and many were keen to start marching. However, the police were already surrounding the area. In fact many riot police were already inside the Tin Hau and Causeway Bay MTR stations before 3pm, watching people going to Victoria Park.

Pepe the Frog defies the face mask ban in Victoria Park

Once the people started marching, then it would be an excuse for the police to arrest them for unlawful assembly, and for wearing face masks. So this was a police tactic to corral people into one space.

We managed to get out at the north side of the park and went out through a small playground called Tung Lo Wan Park. There were kids playing on the sides and play area and next to them? A group of riot police. No one said a word while passing by them.

However, as we got out roads were blocked here and there which made it harder for people to move westward towards Central. At one point we had no choice but to go into World Trade Center mall and the security staff let people in and we walked out the other way.

As we walked we bumped into a couple who were tourists and looked very worried. We strongly advised them to go back to their hotel and walked with them to the MTR station.

Many people were arrested in Wan Chai

A middle-aged woman walking in front of us had said tear gas had been fired in Causeway Bay and soon I could see a block away on Hennessy Road, a number of riot police running down the street and could hear tear gas fired in the distance. For me that was the queue to leave the area.

Soon after as people headed westward to Wan Chai, there was more tear gas and people were cornered in Southern Playground by the police and forced to crouch with their hands up, or kneel with their hands up, much like what happened to other people in Tuen Mun on Halloween night. These people -- who filled four large coaches -- were sent to the police station.

Other horrific events tonight so far?

A candidate running for the district council elections in Tai Po, Richard Chan, was trying to make sure people were safe while in Victoria Park when he was pepper sprayed by police and then violently tackled to the ground and arrested.

He is known as "Airport Uncle" for standing his ground between the police and activists at Hong Kong International Airport in August. He is running for office for the first time and will surely get more sympathy after how he was treated.

A first aider seriously burned when hit by a tear gas canister

Also in Causeway Bay, a first aider was hit in the back by a tear gas canister. He fell to the ground and his fellow first aiders and a journalist quickly carried him to a safe place. However, when they examined him, they found the skin on his back was seriously burned from the hot tear gas canister and his body went into shock.

Other tear gas canisters were found later to have lodged themselves into the road, they were so hot. It is believed these are made in China and much more dangerous...

Another was a fireman who was angry that a tear gas canister had hit his truck and complained to the police, who then ganged up on him and roughed him up. Reporters on the scene who were trying to film the incident, were pepper sprayed by other police officers and told to go away. No one knows what happened to the fireman.

The same video https://t.co/CKlCBVzC6I pic.twitter.com/U450Pziist

— Damon Pang (@damon_pang) November 2, 2019

 

May we add that today is the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists? Seems like the Hong Kong Police didn't get that memo, and if they did they didn't care.

There are many student journalists covering the protests and have managed to get some incredible footage. However, one young student journalist was interrogated by police, telling him he didn't belong there because he was a student and they demanded he take off his gas mask.

Tear gas canisters melted into the asphalt, they were so hot

For a scrawny kid, he stood his ground and refused, even shouting back at the police. He has quickly learned how to be a tough cookie.

An outrageous incident was when a guy in a Porsche was playing "Glory to Hong Kong", the anthem of the protests in his car. The police found this offensive -- is there no freedom of expression anymore? And literally opened the door and yanked him out of the car, sat on top of him on the ground then arrested him.

The media pack also witnessed some police officers dressed as protesters getting into police vans and strangely the police didn't prevent the reporters from filming this. Guess it's an open secret now...

While the police's performance today has been shocking again, they had their own missteps.

In Wan Chai on Johnston Road by Southern Playground, the police misfired a tear gas canister that landed behind at their colleagues. They were not prepared and there are images of some of them on their knees bent over in pain.

People nearby clapped and hollered.

But there are concerns the Hong Kong government will use the vandalism and violence on the streets to justify postponing the district council elections on November 24, just when people are keen to show where they stand politically...