Pepper-sprayed protesters say police used 'unreasonable' force

Opponents of "white elephant" infrastructure projects yesterday accused police of attacking them and misusing pepper spray during their protest on Sunday.

Organisers alleged that the hood of one protester's raincoat was pulled open by one officer while another sprayed him. Radical lawmaker "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung said officers held both his hands while he was sprayed in the face four times.

"How is such behaviour reasonable?" asked Chan Man-wai, a member of youth social movement Age of Resistance, one of the march organisers.

Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok said the spray was only used when a dangerous situation developed on a footbridge at Harcourt Road in Admiralty. However, protesters questioned whether police had followed guidelines on the use of pepper spray, which they say stipulate officers must be under "imminent threat" and be at least 61cm away from their target.

Lai said yesterday that the police handling of the situation was based on the judgment of officers at the scene.

"The situation was very dangerous at the time," he said. "Some of [the protesters] ran out onto the road, occupying the road. Some police officers were splashed with unidentified liquid, and I heard one policeman was hit by a drumstick."

About 170 people joined the march from Chater Gardens in Central to government headquarters in Admiralty, urging the government to scrap a series of expensive projects the demonstrators said served no purpose. They included the troubled high-speed rail link to Guangzhou, the Liantang border crossing and plans for new towns in the northeastern New Territories.