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Police officers arrest Occupy protester Andy Yung Wai-yib - better known as Captain America - in Mong Kok on Friday. Photo: EPA

Police claim Occupy protesters wearing costumes are hiding from the law

Protesters who dress up in costumes to join the Occupy demonstrations could be doing so to hide their identities while breaking the law, police have suggested.

Protesters who dress up in costumes to join the Occupy demonstrations could be doing so to hide their identities while breaking the law, police have suggested.

Chief Superintendent Steve Hui Chun-tak made the remark at yesterday's daily press conference. "Some were dressed in different costumes, concealing their own identities as if they were going to a carnival. However, the fact remains that this is an unlawful assembly which has affected many people."

His comments came 24 hours after a man dressed as fictional character Captain America was arrested during a disturbance in Mong Kok. Highlighting the physical confrontations that have become routine at the Mong Kok Occupy site, Hui criticised "selfish" participants acting contrary to the principles of civil disobedience by not showing "a willingness to accept the legal consequences of their actions".

However, for Andy Yung Wai-yib - the man behind the Captain America costume, who has been released on bail - dressing up is a way to protect himself and to provide a comic buffer between protesters and troublemakers. It was his way of bringing creativity and peace to the civil-disobedience movement, he said.

Yung, a lifeguard, was arrested on Friday. An anti-Occupy protester who was trying to clear some of the barricades fell down as Yung tried to keep him away, he said.

He returned to the protest site on Friday afternoon wearing his normal clothes, because his costume had been confiscated by the police.

"I usually come by in my costume in the afternoon and evening when incidents are known to flare up. It helps in defusing some of the arguments, which could turn violent," said Yung, 30.

The chief superintendent, however, said costume wearers created more chaos than peace.

Yung said: "I'll be more low-key now, and will just sit with the rest of the Occupiers." He won't be buying a replacement outfit any time soon, he said, but he will continue to support the movement.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Police criticise costume antics at Occupy after arrest of Captain America
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