Government condemns attack on Hong Kong protest leader Jimmy Sham
- All kinds of violence are unacceptable, says deputy leader, adding that police will bring culprits to justice
- Civil Human Rights Front activist was hit with hammers and spanners on Wednesday night, the second time he was attacked in two months
Hong Kong’s No 2 official on Thursday condemned a bloody attack on a prominent protest leader as “totally unacceptable”, while the pro-democracy bloc slammed it as an attempt to intimidate citizens or even provoke clashes.
“All kinds of violence, no matter what the scale, are unacceptable,” he told a radio show, noting police had said they would bring the culprits to justice.
Sham had been making his way to the annual general meeting of the Civil Human Rights Front, the pro-democracy group he leads, when he was attacked for the second time in the past two months. The front, which is responsible for some of the largest peaceful marches in the city, was expected to discuss a protest in Kowloon on Sunday.
Sham was conscious when sent to Kwong Wah Hospital and was understood to be in a stable condition. On Thursday morning he was seen in a wheelchair talking to his lawyer.