Hong Kong police switch to ‘softly-softly’ tactics to cool tensions after violent clashes with anti-extradition bill protesters

New strategy adopted after government announced it would suspend the controversial bill

Senior police source said change was to avoid unwanted confrontations or clashes, while the use of force was only necessary if protests turned violent

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Police arrive to speak with protesters who had remained on the streets overnight in Admiralty. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 10:01pm, 17 Jun 2019Updated: 1:29am, 18 Jun 2019

Hong Kong police have switched to a “softly-softly” approach, maintaining a minimal presence and deploying firearms-free officers near the legislature over the past two days, after the force was widely criticised for firing tear gas and rubber bullets at anti-extradition bill protesters last week.

The new strategy was adopted after the government announced on Saturday it would suspend the controversial bill, which if passed, would allow fugitive transfers with jurisdictions with which Hong Kong has no extradition deal, including mainland China, where critics said a fair trial could not be guaranteed.

The bill sparked mass rallies over the past two Sundays and violent clashes between protesters and police last Wednesday, when officers fired 150 rounds of tear gas, rubber bullets and 20 beanbag rounds at demonstrators who occupied roads near the Legislative Council.

Some demonstrators used sharpened metal poles, bricks and barriers to storm police defence lines and the force classified the violent acts of certain radical protesters as a riot.

On Monday morning, police took a low-key approach, appealing to protesters to leave the streets. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Accused of using excessive force against protesters, officers kept a minimal presence during Sunday’s march, which nearly 2 million people attended, according to the organiser, almost double the 1.03 million turnout the previous week.