Former police superintendent Franklin Chu was arrested last night over the assault of pro-democracy protesters two and a half years ago.
Chu, 57, was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, 853 days after he was filmed apparently hitting Occupy protesters in Mong Kok with a baton on Nov. 26, 2014. The maximum penalty for the charge is three years’ imprisonment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SIaeSEQSWE
According to a 2015 testimony published by Ming Pao, Chu claimed he was simply using the baton to “pat” protesters on the back. He retired from the force in July 2015.
Chu’s arrest came on the same day that nine protest leaders were arrested for participating in Occupy Hong Kong, and one day after Carrie Lam was elected as Hong Kong’s next Chief Executive. The nine activists, including students and academics, were charged with public nuisance, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in jail.
Last month, seven police officers were sentenced to two years in jail for beating pro-democracy protester Ken Tsang, who was also jailed for five weeks, after he was poured an unidentified liquid on other police officers and resisted arrest. Following the police officers’ sentencing, a large closed-door rally was held for their supporters and colleagues, during which a serving cop actually compared the negative backlash to police brutality to the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi Germany.
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