Hong Kong’s equality watchdog urged to step in after columnist attacks ‘mentally ill patients’ of pro-independence party

The equality watchdog has been asked to investigate the latest controversial remarks by pro-Beijing columnist Chris Wat Wing-yin after she dubbed the emergence of a pro-independence party in Hong Kong as “a revolution launched by a group of mentally ill patients”.

Announcing the formation of the Hong Kong National Party last week, convenor Chan Ho-tin said it would use whatever effective means available to push for independence.

In her commentary on the online news platform “Kin Liu”, Wat said the extensive media coverage of the party might worsen the situation of the “patients”.

“According to the estimation of the Hospital Authority, one in every seven Hongkongers are mentally ill,” Wat wrote. “Patients could not control their own strange acts and speeches, but the reactions and interpretation of the normal people around them could definitely affect the condition of patients, thus affecting the overall safety of the public.”

Wat moved on to attack pan-democratic lawyers such as James To Kun-sun, who she said had defended young people calling for independence by saying they could not be charged for sedition because it required proof of action and their words were protected by freedom of expression.

“I have not studied law, I only know all kinds of freedoms have their bottom line,” she wrote. “It could already constitute sexual harassment if a man told his female colleague ‘Your breasts are alluring’ even if he has not taken any action.”

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