‘Guerilla first aid’: who are the Hong Kong volunteers braving protest chaos to treat the injured?
- Groups and individuals providing scattered help differ from Occupy movement of 2014, when fixed stations and registrations were available
- Challenges faced during treatment include seriously injured people refusing to go to hospital for fear of arrest
Dressed in bright yellow vests, they are seen darting through crowds, going to the aid of injured protesters.
First-aid volunteers have become a common sight on Hong Kong streets over the past two months of protests, standing out from black-clad demonstrators.
Many have crosses on their vests, helmets or backpacks as they dash to those who need help through a fog of tear gas while screams ring out. Sometimes, it is impossible to tell if they are cries for help or just shouts of anger directed at opponents from either side.
The volunteers include doctors, nurses and ordinary people trained to provide first aid.
“I can help the others,” says a first-aider who only wanted to be known by his surname, Ho. “With one more [volunteer] going out, if there is a group of people being tear-gassed, at least there is one more person there to provide immediate help.”
Ho, 28, a public hospital nurse, started volunteering after June 12, when police used tear gas for the first time during the protests.