Three arrested outside liaison office as planned protests by Hong Kong independence groups called off
Hundreds of officers could be seen in the vicinity of the liaison office before the ‘black mask’ protest was scheduled to take place at 7pm
Three people were arrested on Friday night outside the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong on suspicion of carrying offensive weapons, as a heavy police presence disrupted a planned “black mask” protest by localist groups.
The force would not say exactly what weapons were involved, but one was reportedly a knife. The first, a man, was arrested at 8.33pm.
Localist groups were assessing the security risks of their planned protest late into the night after the force went on high alert and surrounded the Sai Wan office.
Hundreds of officers were near the liaison office before 7pm, when the protest was scheduled to take place. They stood on the elevated highway overlooking the office, inside nearby shopping malls and patrolled the streets as close as 250 metres to the office.
Officers were also quick to stop and check the identities of anyone wearing black.
“Because security is tight at the scene, we are assessing the risk of the actions and gathering other information. There were five to six officers on every corner,” Hong Kong Indigenous, one of the organisers, wrote on Facebook.
Edward Leung, of Hong Kong Indigenous, later announced on Facebook that the protest plan for Friday night had been called off.
“Sorry for wasting your whole night,” Leung said. He added he would explain the reason for the decision on a programme on Saturday.
The supposed rally was planned by localist organisations – a small but vociferous group of advocates for independence for Hong Kong.
A poster issued earlier this week by three localist groups – Hong Kong Indigenous, the Hong Kong National Party and Youngspiration – showed people in black and wearing motorcycle helmets. The poster said the rally was meant to protect law and order, counter violence and demand independence.
Hong Kong Indigenous said in a separate Facebook post that the rally was organised to show Hong Kong people’s anger towards “totalitarian China”.
Owen Fung’s video from the July 1 march earlier in the day
None of the groups obtained a letter of no objection from the police for what they called a “black mask” protest – with participants encouraged to wear black clothing and masks.
Almost an hour after the protest was meant to have taken place, the National Party wrote it was still assessing the situation.
“There has been heavy police presence in the vicinity of the rally place. We are now in discussions with the other parties. Please stay low-profile and agile, and wait for the right moment,” the post said.
Late on Friday, a few people arrived outside the liaison office and waved flags – including a colonial flag – supporting independence for Hong Kong.
“Hong Kong is not China!” they chanted for a few minutes and left.
There were also arguments between police and those who had their identity cards and bags checked.
“You are making all the rules. I cannot stay in a public area, I cannot talk to people in a public area,” a man said to police.
Sunny Chan, a Chinese University student, was also intercepted as police suspected he was carrying offensive weapons after he took pictures with his phone.
“They were insulting me by stopping someone who is completely innocent,” he said.
A 19-year-old boy who interned for the NeoDemocrats had his belongings – constitutional reform flyers and political books – searched as plainclothes officers took videos. Police told him he could be charged with unlawful assembly.
“We were merely going home after dropping off volunteering supplies at our friend’s place nearby,” he said.
As the planned liaison office rally was officially cancelled, another protest of about 150 people organised by five groups, including the League of Social Democrats and People Power, took place at the Government House on Friday night.
Police used pepper spray on more than ten protesters. Three journalists were also hit.
“We marched down to Lower Albert Road and wanted to leave. But the police blocked us on Lower Albert Road and we were trapped. So we charged its cordon line,” said one of the protestors, who was hit by pepper spray.
“Officers did not warn us before attacking us. It is also unfair not to allow us to move forward nor to leave.”
Senior superintendent Tse Kwok-wai, from the Hong Kong Island Region (Operations), said the force condemned the violence outside the Government House. He stressed that the force has warned the protesters before using pepper spray.
He said the force did not trap the protestors outside the Government House, insisting that alternative routes had been offered.
The protesters then marched from Government House to the Chartered Garden in Central.
Vice-chairman of the League of Social Democrats, Avery Ng Man-yuen, announced later at the Chartered Garden that their protests had come to an end.
Ng’s announcement was disrupted by several university students, including Chinese University’s student union president Ernie Chow Shue-fung, who turned up to grill Ng’s group decision to withdraw.
Ng responded that there were not enough protesters to carry out civil disobedience and block roads on Friday night.
He said the earlier attempt to march to the Government House was to demand the chief executive to step down and fight for true universal suffrage.
Before the rally was scheduled to take place, sources with knowledge of the police operation told the Post the force was ready to deal with any eventuality or unrest.
Insiders said the police had “enough manpower, tactics and equipment” to deal with unrest.
Meanwhile, a pro-Britain group marched to the British representative office in Hong Kong to express a wish to reunite the former Crown colony with the United Kingdom.
Additional reporting by Clifford Lo and Eddie Lee
