This was published 4 years ago
Hong Kong police chief downplays 'riot' by protesters
By Kirsty Needham
Hong Kong: Hong Kong's police chief has admitted only a small number of protesters could be described as "rioting" before police unleashed rubber bullets and 150 rounds of tear gas on tens of thousands of young protesters on June 12.
Press photographers wearing helmets for protection in the clashes seen in recent protests, photograph a press conference by Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo in Hong Kong.Credit: AP
Outrage at police handling of the demonstration outside the Legislative Council was one of the drivers for 2 million people to march through Hong Kong streets on Sunday, increasing the pressure for chief executive Carrie Lam to step down.
Hong Kong police commissioner Stephen Lo fronted media on Monday evening, as thousands of young protesters continued to mass outside Lam's office to demand the rioting label be withdrawn.
He said most people who took part in the June 12 rally "need not worry about committing a rioting offence".
He also admitted the 338,000 crowd estimate given by police on Sunday for the march was wrong.
A protester clenches his fist as tens of thousands of protesters march on the streets to stage a protest against the unpopular extradition bill in Hong Kong.Credit: AP
The move appeared designed to de-escalate the stand-off between the government and protesters, as Lam continued to stay out of public view on Monday.
Maya Wang of Human Rights Watch responded to Lo, writing on social media: “That begs the Q: why so many rubber bullets+tear gas for 5 ppl? Unless, of course, they're superheroes.”
Hong Kong protesters had earlier started circulating memes on social media of five costumed superheroes inserted into scenes of police and tear gas.
Lo blamed the frontline commander for the decision to use rubber bullets and tear gas. Most people were peaceful protesters, he said.
"At about 3.30pm on June 12 some people at the demonstration area of the Legislative Council suddenly charged the police and attacked our officers with bricks, metal poles and barriers," Lo said.
"Police had to disperse the crowd and stop the riot... The behaviour displayed by some protesters might have committed a rioting offence.
Joshua Wong addresses protesters gathered at the Legislative Council building.Credit: Bloomberg
"As such, those others who have participated in the same public order event but have not engaged in any violent acts need not to worry about committing a rioting offence."
But Lo denied that police had used disproportionate force over the following four hours, using tear gas, rubber bullets and batons to drive protesters off Harcourt Road.
International and local human rights groups have accused Hong Kong police of potentially breaching the law, as videos have circulated of police using batons and firing tear gas and pepper spray directly at protesters and journalists.
When asked why a man had been shot at for shouting at police, Lo said the person should lodge a complaint. Thirty-five complaints had already been received.
The Hong Kong Journalists Association has separately complained to the police watchdog about police targeting journalists on June 12.
Police fired tear gas at short range hitting journalists in the head in at least three cases, and one journalist was believed to have been hit by rubber bullets or bean bag rounds.
Lo rejected that police had chased injured protesters to hospital to arrest them. Police had arrested two protesters in hospital after police posts in the hospitals reported their injuries to detectives, as would occur with Triad injuries, he said.
The two men were a school teacher and an IT worker.
Lo said five people had been charged with rioting offences among 15 arrests for violence, while 17 people had been arrested in the vicinity for failing to produce identification, loitering and possession of equipment for illegal purpose.
He said the threshold for prosecution for riot is very high and the evidence would be reviewed by the Justice Department.
Many young protesters on June 12 had covered their faces because of fear of arrest, heightened by a string of recent government prosecutions of leaders of the 2014 Occupy protests.
Umbrella Movement founder Joshua Wong was released from prison on Monday morning after serving five weeks of a two-month sentence for storming the Legislative Council in 2014.
A protester raises his hands in front of riot police outside the Hong Kong Legislative Council on Wednesday.Credit: Bloomberg
Addressing the protest outside the government building on Monday, Wong demanded police stop political prosecutions.
Local media reported that Lam held a meeting with religious leaders including Catholic diocese Cardinal John Tong Han and the Reverend Choy Wai-man.
China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement of support for Lam's continued leadership as chief executive, as well as the Hong Kong police actions.
Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Beijing would "continue to firmly support the chief executive".
He added: "The central government strongly condemns violent acts and firmly supports the Hong Kong police force in meting out punishment in accordance with the law."