A woman identifying herself as the female protestor shot in the eye by a suspected police bean bag round spoke out for the first time since her injury today, releasing a video thanking her supporters — and the medical workers who treated her — and criticizing Carrie Lam and the police for “failing Hong Kong.”
Wearing an eye patch, face mask, and sunglasses to maintain her anonymity, the woman — who became an emblem of the protests after photos and videos of her injury went viral — began by debunking LIHKG posts that purported to have been written by her brother, saying she did not, in fact, have a brother. She confirmed, however, that posts from her sister and friend’s LIHKG handles were genuine, and would be the official channels for any future updates.
She then launched into a critique of Chief Executive Lam and the authorities, saying “as a victim of police brutality myself, [I] must severely condemn the Hong Kong Police Force.”
“I urge them to put a stop to all violent acts towards Hong Kong citizens, and to honor their professional responsibility to enforce the law,” she added.
She blamed Lam and Police Commissioner Stephen Lo for having “opened the door for the Hong Kong Police Force to descend from a team of disciplined service [members] that was supposed to uphold the rule of law and protect lives, into a gang of criminals with the intent to murder, mutilate and assault their very own citizens.”
She also went on to thank those who have supported her in various ways, whether by offering financial assistance or protesting in her name, with bloodied eye patches alluding to her injury now a commonly seen accessory at protests.
“In Egyptian Mythology, the Eye of Horus is an ancient symbol of protection and source of power to fight evil.” she added. “I should also hope that my eye can become a beacon of hope that supports Hongkongers to ward off evil.”
Police had initially questioned reports that their “less lethal” rounds were to blame for the injury — claiming it may have been the result of a ball bearing fired from a slingshot by a protester, despite images circulating of what appeared to be the woman’s broken goggles with a bean bag round protruding from the front.
At a police press conference today, a police representative said that what happened was “regretful,” and called for the woman to contact the police.
“We gathered that the woman was discharged from the hospital already, and we are glad that she is having a speedy recovery. We hope she can get in touch with the police so we can reconstruct what happened on August 11. She could have provided police with more information but she has not done so. We hope to retrieve the relevant medical reports so we can tell the public more about the incident soon.”
In her video statement, the woman did not address whether she would be contacting police, but added that she hoped no one else would be injured or arrested as a result of the protests.
“Lastly, I implore the Hong Kong government to positively respond to the five demands and to set up an independent commission of inquiry in order to salvage its legitimacy in the eyes of its own citizens,” she said in closing. “Hongkongers, add oil.”
