Remembering Yuen Long A Year Later

The riot police outnumber the protesters at Yoho Mall tonight

Today marks the first anniversary of the horrific attacks of white-shirted men against people last year in the Yuen Long MTR station, and many people remembered that day by protesting in Yoho Mall which is attached to the station.

They chanted slogans, sang the protest anthem, and held up blank pieces of paper or posters that said "Don't forget July 21", or "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Times".

However it seems ironic that a year ago the police took 39 minutes to respond to thousands of calls about the attacks, while today they tried to preempt the protests by showing up in droves.

Many protesters fined for not social distancing

The police wore riot gear and were prepared to do battle with protesters, who were only armed with pieces of paper. The over reaction seemed outrageous, as they handed out fines to people for not social distancing, and arrested pan-democrat lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung for allegedly obstructing police.

Three other Democratic Party lawmakers, party chairman Wu Chi-wai, vice chairman Andrew Wan Siu-kin, and Lam Cheuk-ting were fined for failing to follow the ban on groups of more than four.

"We came in groups of four," said Lam. "But when we arrived, the police ushered us together and then claimed we had breached the social-gathering regulations. If police had deployed one-tenth of the manpower last year to handle the July 21 attack, the attack might not have taken place."

Hard to believe, but the police are still investigation the incident.

Many came out to remember the anniversary

Calvin So was the chef who finished work and was going home when he was attacked by the white-shirted men with sticks. His back and legs were covered in welts last year.

"I was invited by police to give a statement once last August and then the police called me two or three times later in October for some follow-up questions," So said. "Since then, I have not heard anything from the police. I can't help thinking they are not actually serious in investigating the case."

Earlier in the day a protest was held in a shopping mall in Central where one young protester was fined for violating social-distancing rules.

"I was crying not because I was fined... But where were all these officers on July 21 last year? Now, why are there so many of them here to slap fines on young people?"

The balloons say: "Don't forget July 21"

Tonight reporters on the scene are the target of the police, who searched many of them more than once -- one tweeted she was checked four times -- perhaps as a form of intimidation. They screamed at the reporters to stop filming and take pictures, but that is their job. Again, another overreaction.

This anniversary is so sensitive because it really marked a serious deterioration in the relationship between protesters and the police. And it was one of the main reasons why protesters demanded an independent inquiry into police brutality, claiming there was collusion between the police and triads.

The claim has yet to be proven, though Clifford Stott, one of the policing experts who was hired by the IPCC to investigate, but then quit en masse, will release his own report soon.

In June he gave an online interview with the Foreign Correspondents' Club saying he and other foreign experts resigned, as they were "manipulated and put in an awkward position" by the Independent Police Complaints Council.

Last year's infamous pic of alleged collusion

The IPCC released its report on May 20 this year, basically clearing the force of misconduct.

"We were put in a difficult position. We were in the end manipulated and put in an awkward position," Professor Stott said, adding, "There is no way I could have stood by that report."

We look forward to seeing what Stott has to say about how the protests were handled last year, and of course the government and the police's reaction to his report.

Because we will never forget what happened July 21, 2019; it is forever seared in our collective memories.