{"id":191977,"date":"2019-07-22T07:40:23","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T07:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=191977"},"modified":"2019-07-25T05:40:47","modified_gmt":"2019-07-25T05:40:47","slug":"where-were-the-police-hong-kong-outcry-after-masked-thugs-launch-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=191977","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Where were the police?&#8217; Hong Kong outcry after masked thugs launch attack"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Lily Kuo and Verna Yu \u2013 The Guardian July 22, 2019<\/h1>\n<div id=\"attachment_191979\" style=\"width: 550px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Composite-hk-pic.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-191979\" class=\"wp-image-191979\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Composite-hk-pic-1024x614.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"540\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Composite-hk-pic-1024x614.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Composite-hk-pic-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Composite-hk-pic-768x461.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Composite-hk-pic.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-191979\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Composite picture taken from multiple video sources showing a group of masked thugs attacking protesters at the Yueng Long train station in Hong Kong on Sunday. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Pro-democracy activists and lawmakers in <a style=\"color: #ccffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/hong-kong\">Hong Kong<\/a> have accused the police of standing by as men dressed in white attacked commuters late on Sunday, leaving 45 hospitalised, including one who is critically injured.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Video footage from Hong Kong media showed dozens of men, most in masks, storming a subway station, chasing passengers and beating them with rods. Among those hurt in the attack, in Yuen Long in Hong Kong\u2019s New territories, were demonstrators returning from a large anti-government rally, as well as a pregnant woman and a woman holding an infant, according to witnesses.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ambulance was not enough for so many injured. I did saw the pregnant women who fainted but at once she nearly got assualted again. There was woman holding infant got assaulted too. Weirdest thing is the &quot;leader&quot; of triad tried to help! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/antiELAB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#antiELAB<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ExtraditionBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ExtraditionBill<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HongKongProtest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HongKongProtest<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Galileo Cheng (@galileocheng) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/galileocheng\/status\/1153071148575285248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 21, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">The footage emerged after an <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #ccffff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2019\/jul\/21\/hong-kong-police-fire-rubber-bullets-as-protests-turn-violent\">anti-government march by hundreds of thousands of people<\/a><\/strong><\/span> on Sunday that descended into chaos as police and protesters fought running battles, with riot police firing teargas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">A woman sobbed while recounting what happened during the Yuen Long attack, telling one witness in audio circulated online: \u201cThey beat people in the carriage indiscriminately whoever they were, even people who were returning home from work \u2026 Some men were shielding us. They didn\u2019t fight back otherwise we would have been beaten even worse. They beat even women and children.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Video filmed inside the train showed passengers screaming and crying as they attempted to shield themselves with umbrellas when men attacked people in the carriage. The men used metal and wooden rods, as well as canes and brooms to hit commuters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Footage showed a young man dressed in black being punched and kneed in the stomach by several men. A female journalist was beaten while filming the attack. Photos showed commuters bleeding and smears of blood on the station ground.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">When police arrived at the station after 11pm, the assailants had left and angry protesters demanded to know why they had taken so long to get there. Hong Kong\u2019s Hospital Authority said 45 people between the ages of 18 and 64, were injured in the attack, including one man who was in critical condition. Four men and one woman were in a serious condition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">On Monday morning, activists roundly criticised the police. A lawmaker from the opposition Democracy party said his party was investigating the potential involvement of organised crime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">\u201cIs Hong Kong now allowing triads to do what they want, beating up people on the street with weapons?\u201d Democratic party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, who was among the injured, asked reporters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Civil Human Rights Front, the organiser behind Sunday\u2019s march said: \u201cWhile the police were unnecessarily teargassing protesters \u2026 on the other side in Yuen Long there were real thugs chasing and beating passersby, journalists and lawmakers. This is outrageous.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Pro-democracy lawmaker Ray Chan tweeted: \u201cHong Kong has 1 of the world\u2019s highest cop to population ratio. Where were <a style=\"color: #ccffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hkpoliceforce\">@hkpoliceforce<\/a>?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Snippet of a live broadcast from lawmaker Lam Cheuk ting, showing self-professed pro-Gov&#39;t mobsters attacking passengers in train cars at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MTR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MTR<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/YuenLong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#YuenLong<\/a> Stn. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HongKong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HongKong<\/a> has 1 of the world&#39;s highest cop to population ratio. Where were <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hkpoliceforce?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@hkpoliceforce<\/a>? Lam was injured as shown live. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Aq5JmJlf5u\">pic.twitter.com\/Aq5JmJlf5u<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ray Chan (@ray_slowbeat) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ray_slowbeat\/status\/1152987516124844032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 21, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Activists believe thugs have been hired before in previous pro-democracy protests in 2014, possibly from southern <a style=\"color: #ccffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/china\" data-link-name=\"auto-linked-tag\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">China<\/a> where local authorities have been known to hire men to intimidate residents or petitioners.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">A widely circulated video showed pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho, who lives in Yuen Long, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #ccffff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dP6kywfplSM\">shaking hands with men in white and giving them a thumbs up<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. In response to accusations Ho hired the men to go after protesters, Ho said in a press briefing on Monday that he had nothing to do with the attack.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">\u201cMy appearance in Yuen Long was normal. Many of my voters also live in Yuen Long. Their white-clad action was not a secret. What happened last night had nothing to do with me. I didn\u2019t join any planning, nor was I any part of any group.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Asked why he did not call the police, Ho said: \u201cThey appeared to be normal residents, just like the protesters in your eyes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">The police, who entered a village near the station in Yuen Long where groups of men in white had gathered in the early hours of Monday, said they had seen no weapons and made no arrest because they \u201ccould not be sure of who was involved.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">\u201cEven those dressed in white, that doesn\u2019t mean they are involved. We will handle each case fairly, no matter their political camp,\u201d said Yau Nai-keung, assistant commander of Yuen Long district.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">The Hong Kong government condemned the violence in a statement, confirming that \u201csome people\u201d had attacked commuters on the station platform and within train compartments. \u201cIt led to confrontations and injuries. The [government] strongly condemns any violence and will seriously take enforcement actions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Sunday\u2019s violence marks the latest unrest in Hong Kong, where mass protests have been held for seven consecutive weeks, often resulting in clashes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">The protests, which began over a controversial extradition bill that would allow suspects in Hong Kong, have take on wider demands, including an investigation into police behaviour. Observers believe the violence in Yuen Long and the police\u2019s response is likely to be the focus of another protest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">On Sunday, thousands of protesters attending a peaceful anti-government march defied the police-sanctioned route and pushed westwards to Beijing\u2019s representative office in Hong Kong, where they graffitied the building\u2019s walls, threw eggs at it, and defaced the emblem of the People\u2019s Republic of China.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Speaking outside the building on Monday, Wang Zhimin, director of Beijing\u2019s liaison office, said: \u201cWe resolutely condemn the illegal mob who seriously damaged the precious spirit of rule of law in Hong Kong, undermined the fundamental interests of the people, and seriously hurt the feelings of the entire Chinese people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Chinese state media on Monday also slammed the protests on Sunday, calling the attack on the liaison office a \u201cblatant challenge to the central government\u201d, calling such violent acts evidence of the \u201cmobs and the forces behind them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">The demonstrations challenge Beijing\u2019s authority over the former British colony, returned to Chinese control in 1997. Under the one country, two systems framework, Hong Kong is meant to maintain a high degree of autonomy from the mainland, with an independent judiciary and a free press. But critics say they have witnessed Hong Kong\u2019s freedoms quickly disappearing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Among protesters\u2019 demands are democratic reforms that would give Hong Kongers the ability to directly elect their leaders. <a style=\"color: #ccffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/protest\" data-link-name=\"auto-linked-tag\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Protest<\/a> groups have vowed to continue until their demands are met.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">\u201cI don\u2019t see this ending. It looks like it\u2019s just going to escalate \u2026 it\u2019s almost becoming ungovernable,\u201d said Victoria Hui, a political scientist from Hong Kong, now at Notre Dame University.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2019\/jul\/22\/where-were-the-police-hong-kong-outcry-after-masked-thugs-launch-attack\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Suspected criminals and thugs attack pro-democracy protesters. A video showed pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho shaking hands with them and giving them a thumbs up <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39262,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[78,58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-191977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-china","category-Current_Affairs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/39262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=191977"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":191981,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191977\/revisions\/191981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=191977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=191977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=191977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}