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HKUST RADIO NEWS INFORMATION TEAM Via Reuters
Video of the girl and her brother detained by the police went viral
Hong Kong police have come under fire after footage of officers dropping a 12-year-old girl to the ground near a pro-democracy protest went viral.
Police say the girl participated in an illegal gathering and officers used “minimal force” after she “escaped in a suspicious manner.”
The girl’s family says she was simply out shopping for school supplies and was scared when the police confronted her.
About 300 people were arrested in the unauthorized demonstration on Sunday.
The protests stemmed from the government’s decision to postpone the Hong Kong parliament elections for a year. The government said this was necessary amid the coronavirus pandemic, but activists said the government was using the outbreak as a pretext to prevent people from voting.
- Clashes and arrests in Hong Kong for delayed voting
What does the video show?
The video, from Sunday afternoon, shows two police officers approaching a girl in the Mong Kok area and telling her to stay put.
The girl starts to run, and one officer hits her with his baton while another runs up to her and knocks her to the ground.
More riot police emerge, holding the girl and her brother, who had tried to help her, to the ground. Other officers tell journalists and passers-by, many of whom seem outraged by the police action, to move away.
Local media say the girl and her older brother were later treated in hospital for minor injuries. Police issued them and a passerby fines for violating social distancing rules that prohibit gatherings of more than two people.
What is the girl’s version of events?
The girl, whom local media only identifies as “Pamela” to protect her identity, said she lived nearby and was buying art supplies for the school.
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EPA
Thousands of protesters defied a ban to protest against the postponement of the legislative elections
“The streets were cut by police cordons, so we had to go back to meet our family … but the police suddenly ran towards us. I was scared. They told us to stay put, but I panicked and ran,” he said . told i-Cable news.
His brother added that they both intended to contest the fine they had been imposed for violating social distancing rules.
“We were just walking so there was no reason for the police to come after us,” he said.
Their mother said that she had been shopping for food with them, but went home while they went to get art supplies. She said she was angry at how the police had treated them.
What do the Hong Kong police say?
In a statement, the police said they had been intercepting protesters in Mong Kok who had refused to disperse after warnings to leave.
Police said officers had wanted to “arrest and search” the girl, but “suddenly she escaped in a suspicious manner. Therefore, officers pursued and subdued her with the use of minimal force necessary.”
After an investigation, they determined that “she and other protesters at the scene were participating in a prohibited group meeting” and in violation of coronavirus regulations, for which they were given fines.
The police added that they were “concerned about the participation of young people in meetings of prohibited groups” that could endanger “their own personal safety”, and that they hoped that young people “stay away from high-risk protests and avoid putting themselves in danger”.
Why are things so tense between the protesters and the police?
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Hong Kong saw months of anti-government protests in 2019.The demonstrations were initially over a proposed law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China; however, the government’s response was criticized and the police were accused of responding to the protests with a heavy hand. .
The protests, which involved large numbers of young activists, soon grew into a broader pro-democracy movement that also demanded an investigation into the alleged police brutality.
Several high-profile incidents, including an alleged triad attack on protesters that police were slow to respond to, and violent clashes between protesters and police, led to further deterioration in relations.
Thousands of people, including students and children between the ages of 12 and 15, have been arrested in connection with anti-government protests.
An opinion poll suggests that Hong Kongers’ approval of the police dropped from 66.9% in 2017 to 36.8% in 2020.
