Hong Kong police warn North Point violence will not be tolerated
- Close-knit Fujianese community in city passes on message to “mainland brothers” said to be on their way for Sunday protest march
- Online posts and video clips calling on Fujian natives to fight Hong Kong demonstrators at North Point this weekend have spread rapidly
Police are warning Hong Kong’s Fujianese community that anyone engaging in violence will be arrested, regardless of their background.
The warning comes after a night of horror early this week when protesters fought a street battle in North Point with attackers armed with long poles and other improvised weapons.
Rumours have been flying around the city that some Fujianese associations and clan communities were mobilising relatives and friends from their hometowns on the mainland to come and settle scores following the fierce skirmish in North Point on Monday night.
The North Point district on Hong Kong Island has a large, close-knit community from the southern mainland province of Fujian.
A member of the Fujianese Nam An (Hong Kong) Association said on Thursday that Hong Kong police had approached the organisation and warned them they would “definitely arrest anyone who is going to fight on the streets in Hong Kong”.
“Hong Kong police have urged all Fujianese associations and relevant organisations to stop the mobilisation,” he said, while refusing to be named. “The police want us to tell our folks in Fujian that they would arrest anyone who broke Hong Kong laws – doesn’t matter whether they are on the government side or on the side of the protesters.”