Executive Council convenor Leung Chun-ying said yesterday that rowdy rallies should be 'sanctioned and restrained' - hours after a hard core of July 1 marchers caused traffic chaos in Central as they clashed with police until about 4am.
Leung, a chief executive hopeful, also said police should keep records of the organisations involved in such rowdy rallies for reference when they applied to stage future protests. That way, he said, the demonstrations would not result in casualties.
'There is a rising number of protests in which protesters refuse to leave but rush to block main roads in urban areas. This activity should be sanctioned and restrained,' he said.
'We all remember two weeks ago when a police sergeant fell off a bridge and died because of one person protesting in Central. This sort of action should be reprimanded by society,' he said, referring to the death of a police officer on June 15 when he fell off a footbridge as he tried to approach a protesting chicken trader.
The number of arrests yesterday, 231, was the second highest at any demonstration in the last six years. More than 900 people were arrested in rallies against the World Trade Organisation meeting in the city in 2005. In March this year, a protest against the government's budget proposals led to 113 arrests.
City University political commentator Dr James Sung Lap-kung said the government should be aware that people were increasingly willing to take a more confrontational stance towards authority.