19 Jan 2020 sanction hk govt 43 - a photo on Flickriver

19 Jan 2020 sanction hk govt 43

"5 demands not one less"

Two plain-clothes policemen were surrounded and twice beaten up by protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday as officers tried to call an early end to a rally in the business district, resulting in several rounds of tear gas being fired and the arrest of the organiser of the demonstration.

Thousands took part in the police-approved protest in Chater Garden, Central, at 3pm, to demand electoral reforms for September’s legislative elections and urge the international community to impose sanctions on the Hong Kong government if their calls were snubbed.

But the day descended into mayhem when police declared the rally over after skirmishes between protesters and officers nearby.

The first scuffles broke out when police held a man to the ground in Des Voeux Road Central, drawing an angry response from protesters who then surrounded the officers.

Eight people were arrested in the area for possession of extendable batons, hammers and spanners. The force said it believed those detained had plans to create chaos.

A group of radical black-clad protesters first set upon a police liaison officer about an hour after the rally started after he spoke to the organiser, Ventus Lau Wing-hong. He fell to the ground as heavy blows rained down on him, including from a protester’s metal baton. A colleague who came to his aid was also beaten. The pair managed to flee across the road but were again attacked as they tried to get into a nearby office tower.

“At around 4pm today, while two officers of the police community liaison office were liaising with the organiser of a public event in Chater Garden, Central, they were suddenly surrounded and beaten up brutally by a large group of rioters with wooden sticks and other weapons,” police said in a statement.

“They were left with bloody injuries to the head. Such appalling acts are not to be condoned. The police will endeavour to bring the assailants to justice.”

In another statement, the force said protesters threw water bottles at them when they were intercepting people in the area.

Hard-core protesters set up barricades on roads and dug up paving bricks, police said in explanation of their decision to shut down the rally.

Officers used pepper spray on protesters and several rounds of tear gas were fired. A police water cannon and armoured vehicle were moved into Central amid the chaos. But they were not used.

Lau, a spokesman for Hong Kong Civil Assembly Team, which organised the rally, was arrested immediately after speaking to reporters in the evening. Police accused him of inciting the crowd and violating one of the rules in the force’s letter of no objection for the rally, that protesters could not overcrowd Chater Garden, Lau’s group said.

Zion Lam, another spokesman from the group, denied the accusations and said there was still space in Chater Garden. The organiser had even asked those at the rally to leave to make room for other protesters to get in, Lam added.

Before his arrest, Lau said police should bear full responsibility for the day’s chaos.

He said a man in plain clothes who identified himself as an officer asked him to cut short the rally because there were clashes nearby. Lau demanded he show his warrant card.

“The officer refused to display his warrant card until the crowd became too emotional. By then, the situation had become too hard to control,” Lau said. “I told him that as long as he showed me his warrant card, I would end the rally.”

A large crowd of protesters surrounded the officer, who then showed his warrant card. He and another plain-clothes officer were then beaten up by radicals.

Lau claimed that at least 150,000 people took part in the rally, while police put the turnout at 11,680 at its peak. After the rally was brought to an end, police ordered those in the area to leave immediately or be arrested. Some were rounded up.

In a police briefing on Sunday night, Senior Superintendent Ng Lok-chun said the two assaulted officers were left with “serious and bloody injuries”.

“This happened in broad daylight, right in front of the event organiser himself. We once again strongly condemn rioters for launching such violent attacks on our officers,” he said.

He added that the rally organiser was acquainted with the officers, and so it was “ridiculous” that Lau claimed he did not know them. Lau was arrested for contravening the conditions on the police’s letter of no objection and for repeatedly obstructing the officers in carrying out their duties.

A total of four officers were injured on Sunday, Ng said. He did not elaborate on the other two officers.

Asked why officers held up the identity card of a Stand News reporter in front of his camera while he was doing a live broadcast on Sunday afternoon, Ng said he did not have information on the incident.

But Privacy Commissioner Stephen Wong Kai-yi said his office was looking into the incident in a fair manner along with a similar case in Tai Po earlier.

In a late-night statement, a government spokesman said it strongly condemned protesters’ “outrageous” attacks on officers with no anti-riot equipment.

Separately, the force said four petrol bombs were hurled at the reporting room and car park of Tai Po Police Station at about 8pm. No one was hurt but services at the reporting room were suspended.

Later on Sunday night, riot police were back on the streets, this time in Mong Kok, a popular shopping and entertainment area in Kowloon. In a game of cat and mouse, protesters tried to block traffic, throwing bags of rubbish and other items close at hand onto roads, as police raced through the streets after them.

Police raised a blue flag, warning protesters they were taking part in an illegal assembly, a number of times. Officers also used pepper spray, at one point firing on a group of people, including reporters, gathered on the pavement.

Sunday afternoon’s demonstration, the second in a row pushing for more democracy, was held as protests, sparked in June by the now-withdrawn extradition bill, entered their eighth month.

The movement has morphed into a wider anti-government campaign, with protesters issuing five demands, including the establishment of a judge-led independent inquiry into the police’s use of force.

Lau said the government must scrap the functional constituencies of the Legislative Council, which return 35 lawmakers to the 70-seat legislature and have long been criticised. Voting for the functional constituencies, except for five “super seats”, is restricted to those from certain trades and professional sectors.

“The first time I heard about the calls for universal suffrage, that was in 2007 and 2008. People have then been calling for it in 2012, 2017, and we’re now already in 2020,” Lau, 26, told the crowd.

“We have had a lot of peaceful demonstrations … but has the government ever listened?” The protesters responded with a resounding “no”.

Lau added: “We’re not just here to protest today. We’re here to revolt, to exact revenge [for government inaction].”

Some rally-goers waved US national flags and banners calling for Hong Kong independence.

In November, US President Donald Trump signed into law legislation that could bring diplomatic action and economic sanctions against Hong Kong, waving off multiple warnings by China against such a move.

Protester Serah Kwong, a retired secondary school teacher in her late 50s, said she knew of teachers who were worried about retribution from their schools for supporting the protest movement.

“This oppression may happen to all professions. That’s why we hope there will be more interventions from foreign countries,” Kwong said, referring to sanctions from foreign governments.

“This is the only way to keep up with the pressure.”

Earlier this month, Hong Kong’s education minister Kevin Yeung Yun-hung warned that teachers’ personal remarks on social media were regulated by the law and a professional code of conduct and those who behaved inappropriately should face consequences.

Another protester, office worker Andy Chan, joined the rally because he was angry at police’s use of force at previous protests.

“We have to make sure the five demands are fulfilled, in particular the demand to investigate police brutality,” the 25-year-old said, adding that international sanctions were the only solution left when the Hong Kong government had failed to respond.

Meanwhile, the Transport Department said repairs and testing of the e-payment facilities for all nine manual toll lanes of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel had been completed and would resume operation from 7am on Monday. The facilities were damaged two months ago amid violent protests.

www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3046726/hong...

【明報專訊】民間集會團隊昨發起中環集會，呼籲各國實施制裁法案，其間警方稱有示威者在中環一帶堵路和縱火，約下午4時派出便衣警員向主辦方要求終止集會，其間被示威者襲擊，負傷走至長江中心暫避，再被多名黑衣人圍毆，被人用棍及磚頭擊打，頭部流血，警方施放催淚彈驅散。警方昨午清場時，有市民亦被防暴警打穿頭，同樣血流披面。警方重案組昨晚拘捕活動發起人劉頴匡，指他違反集會不反對通知書條款，若有足夠證據會檢控。

主辦方稱15萬人警：最高峰1.1萬
主辦單位稱有15萬人參加集會，警方稱最高峰時約有1.1萬人。政府昨發聲明回應對有集會者要求外國政府干涉香港事務及實施「制裁」表示極度遺憾，對於普選訴求，聲明又以1100多字重申政府明白市民爭取普選的訴求的立場。

警歸咎示威者堵路縱火稱劉故意刁難
近期多次集會及遊行被腰斬，昨亦不例外，港島總區高級警司（行動）吳樂俊昨晚歸咎示威者剝奪市民集會權利，對此表示遺憾。他稱昨午集會場外有示威者堵路和縱火，警方安排多名便衣警員向劉頴匡要求終止集會，在場便衣警員一直與主辦方保持溝通，與劉頴匡互相認識，惟仍被劉質疑警員身分，認為遭故意刁難，後來更有警員被示威者襲擊至頭破血流，對此表示非常憤怒。他說，事件中最少有4名警員受傷，當中一人昨晚需留院治理。

警重兵截「流水」集會前檢伸縮棍槌仔拘8人

吳樂俊又稱，警方未有使用催淚彈多時，惟昨防暴警員護送受襲便衣警員離去時，在長江中心外仍遭多名示威者追打，迫於無奈施放催淚彈驅散。他又稱集會前截查市民，結果拘捕8人，在他們身上搜出伸縮棍、士巴拿及槌仔，若不採取行動，可能會危害公眾安全，後果不堪設想。

警方對上一次施放催淚彈是今年1月5日，當日上水廣場舉行反水貨遊行。

民間集會團隊原定昨舉辦「天下制裁」遊行，由中環遊行至銅鑼灣，惟遭警方反對，警方只向遮打花園集會發出不反對通知書。昨午1時許，警方已於港島多處重兵佈防，並安排水炮車戒備，阻止集會者「流水式」離開中環遊行（見圖）。

昨午3時許遮打花園已站滿人，部分市民在場外站立。集會期間，警方在場外截查一名男子，指有人向警員掟水樽及疑似漆彈，一批防暴警衝前制服一名男子，其間向圍觀者施放胡椒噴霧。有示威者在中國建設銀行大廈外噴漆，以及在德輔道中及雪廠街交界設傘陣堵路及縱火焚燒雜物。

一名自稱警民關係科、無戴委任證的便衣警員，4時許在集會現場向劉頴匡公開要求劉終止集會，該警員在劉多次要求下才出示委任證，擾攘及理論一番後，警民關係科便衣警員及旁邊無表明身分、一直保護便衣警員的人遭示威者襲擊，其後這批人被揭發也是便衣警。現場場面混亂，他們跑至附近長江中心外，再遭一批黑衣人以棍及手持磚頭擊打身體，及後防暴警趕至。警方後來施放催淚彈驅散在場者。

劉：便衣遲遲不展證應負責
民間集會團隊發言人劉頴匡之後見記者，宣布集會有15萬人參加，他稱若非警方無故腰斬集會，相信集會人數會更多。他又說，昨日警民衝突主要源於有便衣警遲遲不出示委任證，便要求他腰斬集會，激發群眾不滿，認為警方需為衝突負責。警方在劉見傳媒後，即以主辦單位違反「不反對通知書」的協定，沒有協助維持秩序，拘捕劉頴匡。

明報記者

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Taken on: January 20, 2020

Tags:

19th Jan 2020

Hong Kong

一月十九日

香港

2020

二零二零年

二零二零年一月十九日

集會

assembly

HKSAR

free Hong Kong

democracy now

liberate Hong Kong

5 demands not one less

fight for freedom

stand with Hong Kong

五大訴求缺一不可

China

totaliterian

police state

stand with Hong Kong Boycott China

反送中

撤惡法

antiextradition

withdraw the evil law

police brutality

警暴

天下制裁

karma to commies

universal siege on communists

liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time

光復香港

時代革命

示威

demonstration

抗議

Charter Garden

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