Hong Kong protests: two plain-clothes police officers beaten up, tear gas fired and rally organiser arrested as mayhem breaks out in Central
- Several rounds of tear gas fired after police shut down event in Central while eight people arrested for possession of extendable batons, hammers and spanners
- Protesters in Chater Garden had urged foreign governments to consider sanctions against Hong Kong administration if democracy demands not met
Two plain-clothes policemen were surrounded and twice beaten up by protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday as officers tried to call an early end to a rally in the business district, resulting in several rounds of tear gas being fired and the arrest of the organiser of the demonstration.
Thousands took part in the police-approved protest in Chater Garden, Central, at 3pm, to demand electoral reforms for September’s legislative elections and urge the international community to impose sanctions on the Hong Kong government if their calls were snubbed.
But the day descended into mayhem when police declared the rally over after skirmishes between protesters and officers nearby.
The first scuffles broke out when police held a man to the ground in Des Voeux Road Central, drawing an angry response from protesters who then surrounded the officers.
Eight people were arrested in the area for possession of extendable batons, hammers and spanners. The force said it believed those detained had plans to create chaos.
A group of radical black-clad protesters first set upon a police liaison officer about an hour after the rally started after he spoke to the organiser, Ventus Lau Wing-hong. He fell to the ground as heavy blows rained down on him, including from a protester’s metal baton. A colleague who came to his aid was also beaten. The pair managed to flee across the road but were again attacked as they tried to get into a nearby office tower.
“At around 4pm today, while two officers of the police community liaison office were liaising with the organiser of a public event in Chater Garden, Central, they were suddenly surrounded and beaten up brutally by a large group of rioters with wooden sticks and other weapons,” police said in a statement.
