Representatives of Hong Kong’s long-running protest movement decried “ever-escalating” police violence, Hong Kong police decried protesters’ “guerrilla” tactics, and Beijing decried Hong Kong “terrorism” in a series of press conferences this afternoon that sought to seize control of the narrative emerging from a city increasingly on the brink.
A day after a series of impromptu protests sprang up around the city, sparking some of the most intense police responses seen in the past two months, tensions in the SAR appear to have reached an all-time high as the city’s top leaders continue to offer no clear way out of the ongoing unrest.
At another so-called “civil press conference” this afternoon, unofficial representatives of the city’s protesters condemned the “ever-escalating” violence employed by the Hong Kong Police Force in their clearance operations, and urged embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam to directly address protesters’ demands, which include the full withdrawal of a now-suspended bill, an investigation into police brutality, and broader democratic reforms.
One representative, who identified himself by his surname, Chan, pointed to the apparently new tactic of undercover police disguising themselves as protesters to make arrests, calling on police to clarify whether their officers had also acted as agents provocateurs.
“We’d like to ask the police to respond later in their press conference [about] what exactly did the police do when they dressed up as protesters, and to respond to whether the conflicts were staged by the police,” Chan said.
Chan also rattled off examples of police’s use of excessive force, including the apparent shooting of a young woman directly in the eye with what was believed to be a bean bag round, a potentially lethal use of the “less lethal” projectile. That incident and others showed the force’s “intent to kill,” and should be referred to an investigative committee, he argued.
They also addressed police’s proposed use of water cannon trucks, which were demoed for lawmakers today.
“We all know the police never follow safety guidelines,” Chan said of the trucks. “They are testing the limits, and we will not give up until the government directly responds to our demands.”
Shortly after the protesters’ presser, police held a briefing of their own, with Deputy Commissioner Tang Ping-keung criticizing protesters for using “guerrilla-style” tactics, saying police had no choice but to use force to disperse the crowd to protect themselves and everyday Hongkongers.
Police confirmed that 149 people were arrested from Friday to Monday, adding that police found protesters carrying laser pointers, ball bearings, and pocketknives.
“Violence is violence, no matter what reasoning they have,” Tang said of the protesters. “We hope society will restore order soon.”
Addressing questions regarding undercover police, Tang acknowledged that there had been “decoy operations” to target extreme protesters, but promised that none of those officers had incited protesters or initiated disturbances, or engaged in any other illegal activities. However, when reporters asked if any police officers disguised as protesters, Tang only admitted police officers were disguised as “different personnel” for operation need.
Tang declined to disclose how many police officers were involved in the undercover operations, or even to explicitly admit that officers had been disguised as protesters, but maintained that the operation was intended to target violent protesters who used “deadly force.”
Tang also addressed the case of the woman shot in the eye, saying it was unclear whether she had been shot by police or struck by a metal ball bearing of the kind occasionally fired by protesters from slingshots.
Police “cannot confirm how and why she was injured in the eye yet,” he said, insisting that the root cause of the injury was protesters besieging the police station in the first place, and that police would investigate to determine whether anyone would be held liable for the incident.
Relations Branch Chief Superintendent Tse Chun-chung declined giving the “safe distance” of firing at protesters. Tse said pepper balls can be used within a short distance, but he does not have the exact distance in the guidelines, adding that the police force would need more investigation to know what is actually going on.
Police also defended their unprecedented use of tear gas inside Kwai Fong MTR station last night, saying protesters had deployed ball bearings and smoke bombs at the station, and that the decision to fire was made after it was determined to be an “urgent case.” The police claimed the MTR station was a “semi-outdoor” space, and added that their “concern at the time was to stop the dangerous behaviors as soon as possible.”
The police force also responded to the “signs of terrorism” claim by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. The office spokesperson Yang Guang said today afternoon that the central government firmly supports the Hong Kong police force and the judiciary in enforcing the law and bringing justice to Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, meanwhile, also weighed in on yesterday’s clashes — in particular protesters’ use of Molotov cocktails, which injured at least one policeman — saying they showed “the first signs of terrorism emerging” amid the city’s months-long unrest.
“This wantonly tramples on Hong Kong’s rule of law and social order,” HKMAO spokesman Yang Guang said at a press briefing in Beijing.
Police touched on the “terrorism” label in their briefing today, saying they would need to identify the intentions of alleged perpetrators before calling out acts of terrorism, but would be closely observing the use of violence and deadly weapons.
Additional reporting by AFP.
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