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The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) struggled with corruption among its ranks from the 1940s until the 1970s. It gained the nickname "Asia's Finest" after undergoing reforms in 1979. [1] Since the 2010s, the force has faced allegations of police brutality, sexual assault, excessive use of violence, falsification of evidence, and a lack of professionalism.
After the Second World War ended in 1945, Hong Kong faced an economic slump. Trade became much slower than what it was before the war. [2] Meanwhile, an ongoing civil war in China forced thousands of Chinese refugees to flood the British colony, and later to escape the Cultural Revolution enforced by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party. [3] Due to a lack of resources to sustain this huge increase in their population, police enforcements were reliant on its staff sergeants (senior non-commissioned officers), who wielded significant power and influence within their districts, often imposing excessive rule over their subordinates. [4]
Corruption began to run rampant and tarnish the reputation of the Hong Kong Police. Officers were negligently paid in comparison with other civil servants and with others in society in general. [4] Some officers accepted bribes to turn a blind eye towards syndicated vice, drugs and illegal gambling activities. During the 1950s and 1960s, syndicated criminals paid regular sums of money to the staff sergeants who, in turn, used couriers and book keepers to share their ill-gotten gains amongst the officers and constables of their respective police districts. [5]
This became an increasing concern for the colonial government, but corruption was temporarily overshadowed by the 1967 Hong Kong riots that threatened the stability and very existence of the British colony. In 1969, Queen Elizabeth II honored the Force with the 'Royal' title to recognize its loyalty, dedication and efforts to restore law and order during the 1967 disturbances. Princess Alexandra then became its Commandant General. Thus the Force changed its name to the Royal Hong Kong Police. [4]
Although not confined to the police but tarnishing other government departments and the wider business community as well, police corruption re-emerged as a major concern in the early 1970s. The Commissioner of Police, Charles Sutcliffe, ordered investigations to break the culture of corruption and this caused over forty Chinese officers to flee Hong Kong with more than HK$80 million cash (about HK$2 million each). [5] [6] Moreover, in 1973, a highly decorated officer, Chief Superintendent Peter Godber, became embroiled in a corruption scandal when Sutcliffe found him to have amassed HK$4.3 million in assets. Godber fled the colony after learning of his intended arrest, prompting a public outcry. These events precipitated the formation of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in 1974, which the government gave wide-ranging powers to investigate and bring to justice corrupt elements in Hong Kong society. [7] The Hong Kong Police's official history cited poor pay as one of the primary factors that motivated officers to engage in corruption. [4] Investigators mounted a series of raids on police stations throughout the colony, sometimes bringing many officers to ICAC offices for questioning. Police discontent with this situation peaked in 1977 and the government offered an amnesty to all serving officers after junior police officers demonstrated at the Police Headquarters in Wanchai and the ICAC offices near Admiralty. [8]
Following the amnesty, the police force re-organized itself, introducing new layers of management, police procedures and supervisory accountability to deter and detect corrupt elements within its ranks. The government also greatly improved police remuneration and overhauled the terms and conditions of their service—arguably removing the incentive for corruption. [4]
Resulting from the reforms of 1979 and the early 1980s, the Royal Hong Kong Police regained its good name and reputation and began marketing itself as "Asia's Finest". [1] It developed a strong track record for fighting crime, and enjoyed the reputation of being one of the most professional, efficient, honest and impartial police forces in the Asia Pacific region. [9] [10] The force enjoyed the esteem and confidence of the public it served, as demonstrated by the University of Hong Kong opinion polls between 1997 and 2007. Its popularity peaked in 2007 with a net approval rating of 79 percentage points. [11]
Since 2014, there have been reports of police officers involved in sexual assaults on female victims. In one high-profile case involving an officer with six years' service molesting a female within Police Headquarters toilet, the officer was convicted of indecent assault and abuse of power. [12] [13] There had been an incident in 2008, when a woman was raped inside Mong Kok police station by a policeman. [14]
In 2021, a former policeman was sentenced to five-year imprisonment on Tuesday after a sentence review, in which he originally got 46 months in jail for indecently assaulting six underage girls. He pleaded guilty to 8 counts of indecent assault and unlawful sexual intercourse committed between 2017 and 2018 when he was still in the force. Originally released on bail, he was arrested again after committing another crime resulting in the present sentence. [15] [16] [17]
Police were criticized for violently attacking protesters in October 2014, [18] as well as for allegedly colluding with triads and thugs against peaceful protesters. [19] [20] [21]
Seven officers were convicted and sentenced to two years in prison in early 2017, after a video tape surfaced of them beating a handcuffed protester in police custody on 15 October 2014, sparking outrage and accusations of police brutality. [22] [23] [24] [25] The commissioner of police, pro-Beijing politicians, and thousands of members of the police unions publicly supported the convicted officers. [26] [27]
As a result of Andy Tsang's unpopular decisions and comments as Chief of Police, critics nicknamed him "Vulture". [9] The approval rating of the police declined from mid-2012 to 2015 with the record low net approval of 21 percentage points set in early 2015. [11]
According to the Wall Street Journal, Tsang was responsible for politicization of the police during his tenure and aligning policing objectives with the state. [28] Police failure to respond to assaults against certain groups, heavy-handed treatment of protesters during the "Umbrella Revolution", [9] deployment of riot police and 87 instances of tear gas use against unarmed students, caused disquiet among the public and some senior police staffers. [9] [29] The police were seen to have become a political tool in support of a governance system that is overseeing the replacement of rule of law with "rule by law" as defined by the CCP. [10] [28] [30] [19] [31] Fung Wai-wah, president of the Professional Teachers' Union, commented that "the police [during the Umbrella Revolution] have made themselves enemy of the people [literally overnight]". [30]
The Hong Kong Police came under fire for failing to charge police superintendent Franklin Chu King-wai, now retired, who was filmed hitting civilians with a police baton when uniformed officers were directing a line of passers-by to move along after a protest in Mong Kok on 26 November 2014. [32] The day before Chu was due to retire in July 2015, the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) established by a majority decision that a complaint against Chu was justified. The internal Complaints Against Police Office (CAPO) disagreed and sought legal advice from the Department of Justice. [33] Chu was eventually charged, convicted and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. [34]
In December 2014, the police caused concern when they applied for Care and Protection Orders (CPO) for two youths, one of whom was arrested during the protests. [35] Police arrested one 14-year-old male for contempt of court during the clearance of Mong Kok and applied for a CPO. [35] [36] The CPO was cancelled four weeks later when the Department of Justice decided that they would not prosecute. [35]
In a second case, a 14-year-old female who drew a chalk flower onto the Lennon Wall on 23 December 2014 was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, detained by police for 17 hours, and then held against her will in a children's home for 20 days, but was never charged with any crime. [37] A magistrate decided in favor of a CPO pursuant to a police application, deeming it "safer." The incident created uproar as she was taken away from her hearing-impaired father, and was unable to go to school. [38] [39] [40] On 19 January, another magistrate rescinded the protection order for "Chalk Girl" (粉筆少女) after reviewing a report from a social worker. [41] The handling of the situation by the police raised concerns, as there was no explanation as to why the police failed to locate and consult a social worker before applying for the order in accordance with proper procedures. [42] The controversy gained international attention, and The Guardian produced a short documentary film, titled "The Infamous Chalk Girl" which was released in 2017. [43] [44] Use of the CPO device against minors involved in the Umbrella Movement was seen as "white terror" to deter young people from protesting and exercising free speech. [35]
In May 2015, a man was arrested, detained from 2 to 4 May for in excess of 48 hours and wrongfully accused of murder. [45] The man was autistic, and the police failure to handle such a case sparked controversy. [45] [46] According to the police, the suspect made a written confession of an assault that contradicted severely with statements obtained whilst interviewed with family members. A nursing home later offered the suspect an alibi, corroborated with video evidence, that the man could not have been at the alleged crime scene. [46] Civil rights activists condemned the incident which traumatized a vulnerable individual, and criticized the police procedures including not proposing legal representation, lengthy detention, an methods for obtaining a bogus confession. The police chief expressed "regret" but refused to make an apology. [46] Also in May 2015, police procedures for conducting identity parades attracted controversy when suspects in an assault case on television reporters were allowed to wear shower caps and face masks during an identity parade, ostensibly to cover distinctive features, leading to the police abandoning the case due to insufficient evidence. The police stance was confirmed by the new Chief Commissioner. [47] [48]
In mid-September 2015, media reported that the police had made material deletions from its website concerning "police history", in particular, the political cause and the identity of the groups responsible for the 1967 riots. Mention of communists and Maoists were expunged: for example, "Bombs were made in classrooms of left-wing schools and planted indiscriminately on the streets" became "Bombs were planted indiscriminately on the streets"; the fragment "waving aloft the Little Red Book and shouting slogans" disappeared, and an entire sentence criticizing the hypocrisy of wealthy pro-China businessmen, the so-called "red fat cats" was deleted. [49] [50] The editing gave rise to criticisms that it was being sanitized, to make it appear that the British colonial government, rather than leftists, were responsible. Stephen Lo, the new Commissioner of Police, said the content change of the official website was to simplify it for easier reading; Lo denied that there were any political motives, but his denials left critics unconvinced. [50] [51]
In October 2015 the Police Public Relations Bureau launched a Facebook page in a bid to improve its public image. The page was immediately inundated with tens of thousands of critical comments, many asking why the seven officers who beat the handcuffed protester a year earlier had not been arrested. In response, the police held a press conference and warned of "criminal consequences" for online behavior. [52]
A police sergeant at the Wan Chai Police Station allegedly absconded on 1 May 2016 with HK$1.07 million (US$140,000) in bail funds. A man remanded on bail who reported to the station on 25 May 2016 claimed that an officer told him that the police could not be held liable for the missing money, and made him sign a waiver of claims in relation to the bail money he had posted previously. [32] [53] Although police public relations quickly apologized for the "misunderstanding" that had occurred at the Wan Chai station, media criticized top management for being equivocal and evasive about the accountability of the station and also about whether the police officers responsible for the waiver response would be disciplined. [32]
In the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, police were criticized for using excessive force. [54] On 12 June, they had fired 150 tear gas rounds, 20 beanbag shots, several rubber bullets and smoke bombs on protesters outside the Legislative Council complex. [55] The New York Times released a video essay showing tear gas was deployed as an "offensive weapon" and that in several cases, unarmed protesters were beaten and dragged by police commanders. [56] Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo dismissed those complaints, stating that 22 officers were hurt during the protest and suitable force had been used. [57]
On 21 June 2019, Amnesty International examined various video footage and concluded that the Hong Kong police had used excessive force in 14 incidents. [58] They published a report, documenting the use of excessive force, and stated that there were numerous violations of international law regarding use of force by Hong Kong police officers against unarmed civilians. [59]
On 23 June 2019, a press conference was jointly held by representatives from the Medical, Health Services, and Legal sectors. 82 election committees from the Medical, Health Services, and Legal function constituencies signed a joint proclamation stating that the police had arrested five people seeking public hospital treatment and also verbally threatened some nurses to try to obtain patient details. The signatories urged the police to stop interfering with hospital treatment and to respect patient confidentiality. [60]
Throughout the period, there are numerous cases where the police officers on duty did not show their warrant cards despite it being a legal requirement for them to do so. [61] There are also numerous documented cases where police officers either refused to show the warrant card when requested by the press or citizens, or simply ignored the requests. [62] [63] [64] [65] None of the members of the Special Tactical Squad deployed on 12 June showed the police ID number as it was claimed by the Secretary for Security John Lee that the uniform design did not allow the ID number be displayed. [66] The police refused to provide the ID number for the squad as "it would hinder the investigation of crimes and affect public safety". [67] This prevented the general public from complaining about the police officers and raised controversies. [68] A police spokesperson stated that police officers were not required to wear the warrant card all the time; [69] on the other hand, the official police television programme "Police Report", stated the opposite. [70]
On 30 June 2019, a police-support campaign were held in Tamar Park. There were video recordings showing respectively, (1) a legislative council member being assaulted by a small group of police supporters, [71] an anti-extradition bill protester being pushed to the ground and beaten by a group of police supporters, [72] the police was present and did not arrest anyone on the spot. There was a video allegedly showing that after a police supporter assaulted a protester, the person was released immediately without having had their details taken down, whilst a detained protester held for 15 minutes was not allowed to leave unless the protester drop the charge. [73]
On 8 July 2019, a man claimed that a police officer declared that the police do not need to show the warrant card while performing their duties [74] and Tan Wenhao, a member of the Civic Party in the Legislative Council, claimed that journalists were knocked down by an advancing police riot shield wall. [75] Following these incidents, lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting requested an independent investigation into police conduct, called for a review of video that may show the use of excessive force, and stated that failure to have warrant cards visibly displayed may be a violation of the law. [76] Reporters have captured videos which show people who appear to be protestors beating private citizens and vandalizing cars. [77] Some protestors are reportedly associated with a radical group Valiant Frontier [78] which has been reported to have used violence in the past. [79] A report on 17 August 2019, citing a recent poll, stated that most residents would not denounce the group [80] despite not agreeing with their method.
By September 2019, the self-proclaimed Citizens’ Press Conference announced that public satisfaction with the police had declined to a record .02 percent on a scale of zero to 10 in their online poll, with roughly 120,000 of the poll respondents – or 87 percent – giving the police force a rating of zero. [81] The ratings represented the lowest level since 1997 and lower than that of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison. Soon after the Extradition Bill protests, Amnesty International published a report on the unlawful use of force by the Hong Kong Police Force, including the dangerous use of rubber bullets, officers beating protesters who did not resist, aggressive tactics used by police to obstruct journalists on site and the misuse of tear gas. [82]
On 21 July 2019, a mob of over 100 armed men dressed in white indiscriminately attacked civilians on the streets and passengers in the Yuen Long MTR station. [83] [84] An MTR spokesman said workers at the station saw disputes taking place at about 10:45 pm and immediately contacted police within two minutes. [85] However, the police officers only arrived at around 11:15 pm, when the mob was gone, despite receiving many other citizens' call to 999 for help. [86] Residents also reported being ignored and treated rudely by 999 responders, who claimed they "should stay at home if they are afraid". Upon arrival, police were surrounded by dozens of angry residents and protesters who accused police of deliberately retreating after being called to the scene for the first assault. [87]
The Prince Edward station attack on 31 August 2019, also known as the 831 incident or Prince Edward terrorist attack, [88] [89] [90] refers to an indiscriminate [91] [92] [93] attack towards passengers by the Hong Kong police after a protest at the night on 31 August 2019 for the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests in the Prince Edward station, Mong Kok. [94] [95]
On 11 November 2019, the police stormed onto the campus of Chinese University of Hong Kong to conduct arrests without the permission of the university, in response to the disruption of traffic by the protesters on 11 November morning. From 11 to 12 November, the police have total fired over 1,000 tear gas and other kinds of non-lethal bullets to the students and protestors inside the campus.
On 6 July 2019, some activists tried to remove groups of singers and viewers from the park. The police was accused of selective enforcement. A viewer who assaulted an activist were protected by the police and sent to a taxi, without a proper investigation of the confrontation. A group of police held an activist on the ground, pulled off his surgical mask, took photos of his face and recorded his ID without reason. Around 50 police officers surround a toilet for hours, in the process refusing to let a woman suffering a chronic illness to use the toilet because one of the singers was in it. [96] [97]
On 13 July 2019, in the Reclaim Sheung Shui protest, police was accused of chasing an innocent man who then jumped off a bridge in panic, there was a number of allegations of excessive force and abuse of power, including police refusing to show their ID number. [98] [99]
On 14 July 2019, in the Reclaim Sha Tin protest, police blocked multiple exit routes, leaving a single route for protesters to go in a Shopping mall in Sha Tin. The police then blocked the MTR station, trapping protesters and bystanders in the Shopping Mall. Police then stormed the shopping mall and assaulted the citizens inside, protesters and bystanders alike. It is claimed that police intentionally applied excessive force that would cause permanently injuries to protesters, including bending the wrist of an unconscious detainee by 180-degree, and poking the eyeball of a protester. [100] [101]
In April to May 2020, senior members of the police were implicated in illegal housing controversies. A report by Apple Daily alleged Assistant Commissioner Rupert Dover to have illegally occupied and extended his house. [102] It was also reported by Ming Pao that another house was operated illegally as a guesthouse by Dover. [103] Apple Daily also accused police chief Chris Tang of turning a blind eye to illegal structures on an apartment he previously rented. The police denied any wrongdoing by Tang. [104] Chief Superintendent David John Jordan and Superintendent Vasco Gareth Llewellyn Williams have also been accused of illegal extensions on their respective properties. [105]
Police Commissioner Chris Tang has accused Apple Daily's attacks on senior officers of being retaliation for the 18 April arrest of the paper's founder, Jimmy Lai. [106]
During the coronavirus outbreak in 2020, the police force was accused for stockpiling protective gear while leaving other government departments and medical workers short of masks. Legislator Kwok Ka-ki stated that the police stockpiled around 640,000 surgical masks and 13,000 N95 respirators, and intended to acquire 64,000 more face coverings in the next two months. Police defended themselves, stating that Kwok has made "unfounded allegations". [107]
RTHK news satire show Headliner also satirized the controversy in a sketch performed by Wong He where he was dressed as a police officer. Police force issued an official complaint, stating that they express "extreme regret" and argued that the supply is needed for a large workforce. [108]
In February 2020, a leaked video showed that Chris Tang, the Police Commissioner and other senior officers at a private dinner with Jackie Chan, Eric Tsang and Alan Tam. They were without face masks despite the government's appeal to limit social interactions amid the coronavirus outbreak. [109] Legislators criticized the police for defying government recommendations and making inappropriate flattering remarks. [110]
In November 2012, taxi driver Chan Fai-wong was arrested at the Western Harbour Crossing following a fare dispute with a passenger. Chan refused to get into a police van, and was subsequently put in a chokehold by police and dragged by his neck into the van. He suffered a cervical vertebra dislocation and died a month later from complications resulting from the injury. While most of the involved officers argued they had used legal force, a coroner's court inquest ruled in 2018 that Chan had been killed unlawfully by the police. [111]
Two off-duty policemen were arrested during a raid of an illegal gambling den. The pair were suspended. [112] Two officers caught up in a sting operation involving crystal methamphetamine with a street value of HK$14 million ($2 million) were suspected of having sourced the narcotics from a 300 kg consignment seized the previous month; [113] the charge sheet of the arrested strangely omitted narcotics type, quantity, and the defendants' occupation. [114] In the same month, riot squad officers were filmed entering a convenience store while on duty, made off with a bottle of water without paying while calling out loudly "Coming back". After the footage was published on social media, the public relations section of the HKPF said they subsequently visited the store and paid for the water. [115]
From 2006 to 2021, 6 attacks against The Epoch Times happened in Hong Kong; none of the 6 attacks led to prosecutions. [116]
In February 2023, the police sent a letter to Oriental Daily , criticizing a video commentary on the police force's performance. The police said the newspaper had acted in an "unprofessional, irresponsible, and biased criticism made in a mocking manner." [117]
Following a training exercise, police left behind hundreds of spent tear gas canisters on one of the Soko Islands, sometime between November 2022 and February 2023. [118]
In February 2023, a former officer was arrested, on being suspected of masterminding the murder of Abby Choi in Lung Mei Tsuen. [119]
Edward Leung Tin-kei is a Hong Kong politician and activist. He is the former spokesperson of Hong Kong Indigenous, a localist group. He advocates Hong Kong independence, and coined the slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" during the 2016 by-election, which was later widely used in 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests.
The 2019 Yuen Long attack, also known as the 721 incident, refers to a mob attack that occurred in Yuen Long, a town in the New Territories of Hong Kong, on the evening of 21 July 2019. It took place in the context of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. An armed mob of suspected triad members dressed in white indiscriminately attacked civilians on streets with steel rods and rattan canes, before attacking members of the public in nearby Yuen Long station including the elderly, children, protesters returning from a demonstration in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island, journalists and lawmakers.
The founding cause of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests was the proposed legislation of the 2019 Hong Kong extradition bill. However, other causes have been pointed out, such as demands for democratic reform, the Causeway Bay Books disappearances, or a general fear of losing a "high degree of autonomy". The Hong Kong protests are unique in this respect from democracy protests in general, which are often provoked by economic grievances. Subsequent actions by the police, such as mass arrests and police violence, as well as what was perceived to be an illegitimate legislative process of the bill, sparked additional protests throughout the city.
The conduct of the Hong Kong Police Force is a subject of controversy during the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. Tactics employed by the force have led to misconduct allegations and protesters have accused the Hong Kong government of using the police as a method to resolve a "lingering political crisis." Actions taken by the police force and the Hong Kong government have caused mixed reactions inside Hong Kong and in the general international community. Allegations against the police include excessive use of force, force against unspecific targets, and arrest without warrant. These allegations have been presented in various media both supporting and detracting from the complaints, such as through amateur video. In general, the spirit, rumors, videos, and other media shared by the public have caused a drop in support for the police force, and an Amnesty International report accused the police of using excessive force against civilians. One of the objectives of the 2019–2020 protests is establishment of an independent inquiry system into said allegations.
The month of September in the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests saw again citywide unrest. Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced on 4 September that the extradition bill, in suspension since July, would be fully withdrawn, which fulfilled one of the five demands of the protesters. Also, following an earlier promise, Lam held a discussion session with randomly selected members of the public on 26 September. These acts, however, had little to no effect on the protests, as protesters insisted that all of the five demands be met. That this latter goal would be hard, if not impossible, to achieve – due to the very limited room given to Lam's administration by mainland Chinese authorities, as transpired from comments by officials – did not discourage the protesters from continuing to take to the streets.
The 2019 Prince Edward station attack, also known as the 31 August MTR station incident, was an incident in which Hong Kong police indiscriminately attacked passengers while arresting protesters who were returning home via Prince Edward station, on the night of 31 August 2019, after a protest was held that same day. The event was described as the police version of the 2019 Yuen Long attack, and the police have been criticised as acting like terrorists. Rumours have been circulated that several protesters were beaten to death at the station, but the police have rejected allegations. However, a mourning vigil was set up by a group of residents outside one exit of the station.
Cheng Lai-king is a Hong Kong politician who served as District Councillor for the Castle Road constituency, and as former chairwoman of Central and Western District Council. She is a member of the Democratic Party and a registered social worker.
In late January 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic started to gain more concerns from the public due to its severity. In early February, consequently, the organizers announced to suspend the demonstrations. Alternatively, the protests over responses to the outbreak were held in various districts. The largest demonstrations besides the outbreak protests were to commemorate the July 21 Yuen Long attack and August 31 Prince Edward station attack, as well as the death of Chow Tsz-lok and Chan Yin-lam.
Chan Hok-Fung is a Pro-Beijing DAB Hong Kong politician who was a member of Central and Western District Council, and was once the vice-chairman of the council, until losing re-election in the 2019 Hong Kong local elections.
This is a timeline of events in April 2020 surrounding the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. The COVID-19 pandemic had caused a decline in the number and scale of the protests, although the Hong Kong government, police and protesters expected that with signs of the pandemic beginning to ease in Hong Kong, major protests of the kind the city had seen before the pandemic would again erupt in summer. Most protest-related activities happened online, especially on games like Animal Crossing. This resulted in a ban on the sale of Animal Crossing in China. Hong Kong police arrested 15 Democrats on the morning of 18 April, citing their alleged participation in "unlawful" gatherings that had taken place in August and October 2019 in the context of the protests. This drew international condemnation, with accusations being made that the crackdown had been carried out at the behest of the Chinese central government, and taken advantage of many Western democracies being severely hit by the pandemic, hampering their response.
The month of June 2020 was the first anniversary of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. The decision taken by the National People's Congress on national security legislation and the alleviation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong led to a new series of protests and international responses. On 30 June, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed the Hong Kong national security law which came into force the same day, leading to even more people protesting on 1 July.
The month of August 2020 in the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests saw only sparse and relatively small protests, mainly due to the city going through a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and an outdoor gathering ban on groups of more than two people. As the impact of the Hong Kong National Security Law on the city became increasingly evident, and additionally in response to acts by representatives of the local and mainland governments throughout the protests, Western democracies continued to voice sharp criticism and implemented sanctions against China, with the United States imposing sanctions on 11 Hong Kong officials on 7 August. These developments supported the opinion expressed by former British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind in late June that the protests had morphed from a mostly local dispute into an international one.
The offices of Apple Daily, once the largest pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong, and its parent company, Next Digital, were raided and executives arrested by the Hong Kong Police Force on 10 August 2020 and again on 17 June 2021. Some of the arrested and three companies of Next Digital were charged under the Hong Kong national security law. The 26-year-old newspaper was forced to close in June 2021 following the raids and freezing of its capital.
On 6 September, the biggest protests in the course of the 2019-20 Hong Kong protests since 1 July occurred in the city. The fresh protests were in a large part due to the day having been the scheduled election day for the Legislative Council; on 31 July, the Hong Kong government had the elections postponed by a year, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, a justification that was widely doubted. The unauthorized protests resulted in nearly 300 arrests, one of them on suspected violation of the national security law, and brought the total number of arrests during the entire protests since June 2019 to above 10,000.
The written traditional Chinese characters for vertical banners are "直幡", and the horizontal counterpart, horizontal banners are written as "横額" in traditional Chinese.
Hong Kong 12, or 12 Hongkongers, are the twelve Hong Kong protesters, previously arrested by the Hong Kong police, detained by the Chinese authorities in 2020 on sea after a failed attempt to flee to Taiwan.
A suicide attack took place at approximately 22:10 on 1 July 2021, in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. 50-year-old Leung Kin-fai approached a Police Tactical Unit (PTU) police officer from behind and stabbed him, injuring the officer's scapula and piercing his lung, before Leung committed suicide by stabbing his own heart. Leung was immediately subdued by surrounding police, arrested and sent to hospital. He died at 23:20.
Leung Kin-fai, was a Hong Kong merchandiser known for stabbing a 29 year old police officer in Causeway Bay and committing suicide immediately afterwards. The attack took place on a day when three sensitive dates converged – the anniversary of the territory's handover from British to Chinese rule, the 100th Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, one year after the imposition of the Hong Kong national security law. The victim, Wai-ming survived the stabbing after going through 7 hours of emergency surgery. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Wai-ming said that he could not forgive "a man who thought he could evade responsibility by committing suicide”, as that sent a wrong message to society, and that his message to Leung was that he believed violence was wrong and is never the solution.
On 22 February 2021, Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, proposed that Hong Kong's governance had to be in the hands of "patriots". Observers considered it possible that the definition of "patriot" would require candidates for public office to embrace the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, as also suggested by Hong Kong Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang; and that this signified a departure from the position that had prevailed since a speech by China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping in 1984.
On 29 December 2021, Stand News, one of the few remaining pro-democracy media outlets in Hong Kong following the passage of the Hong Kong national security law in 2020, was raided by the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force. Media executives and journalists were arrested on the charge of "conspiring to publish seditious publications" on a large scale. As a result of the raid, Stand News ceased operations, the organisation's website and social media became inactive, and all its employees were dismissed. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, along with leaders in Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and United States, condemned the raid.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)This driver's car windows were just smashed and the driver himself was punched.