Hong Kong Police have come under fire after a photo of officers brandishing weapons for an apparently jokey Chinese New Year greeting went viral.
The offending pic, which appears to have been taken on police property, shows a front line of grinning officers from the Police Tactical Unit holding what appear to be high-power rifles.
Behind them stand other officers holding up red banners similar to those used to warn Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrators about tear gas during the Occupy Central protests.
Instead of warning of impending doom, however, these banners spell out “Full of happiness in the Year of the Goat”.
While some Hong Kong netizens appreciated the sentiment, others found it a bit bad taste.
The force has confirmed that it will investigate the incident after criticism from the public and politicians.
Maybe stick to a round-robin email card next time, guys.
