Hong Kong Protests: Contentious videos

-- PHOTO: SCREENGRAB OF YOUTUBE VIDEO
-- PHOTO: SCREENGRAB OF YOUTUBE VIDEO

Were protesters so riotous that they merited the police response? Or were they generally under control? Hong Kongers have been divided in their views. Here are some of the contentious videos online.

1. Protesters and police face-off at Harcourt Road

Netizens have different interpretations of what happened at Harcourt Road, which later triggered the use of tear gas. Some believe that the protesters were behaving peacefully with the police over-reacting, while others said it was the protesters who had provoked the police by charging at the cordon.

Watch another video here: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=980727658620832

2. Old man pepper-sprayed by police

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muWhN4mcsv0

Netizens accused the police of abusing the use of pepper spray. The most controversial part is when a policeman sprayed directly at an unarmed old man even though he was not trying to break through the police cordon in this video. People left comments under the video like "rubbish!", "how can they treat an old man like this! Hong Kong police are evil monsters!"

But some said that the man did something violent first and that his actions had irritated the police, and directed people to watch a longer version video:

Comments are left saying that "after watching the complete version, I can say that this old man is one of the radicals!"

3. Police's use of baton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljst9cJnZP4

The video's title is "Policeman even whipped out the baton, threatening unarmed students and ordinary Hong Kongers!"

Most comments left under the video accused the police officer of violence towards unarmed students. Comments include: "Put down the baton, then you can become a human being!", "Hitting people with baton happens only in places without human rights."

Some however defended the police, with one saying: "Several policemen were surrounded by a big crowd of protesters, it is so scary!" and asked others "to watch the video clearly".

4. Police actions in Mong Kok

The video's title is "Police framed umbrella-revolution protesters for being triad members".

Comments below accused the police of threatening pro-democracy protesters at Mong Kok of being triad members as an excuse to drive them away.

Newspaper Ming Pao later published articles saying that the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau sent more policemen to Mong Kok for investigations due to earlier accusations that the police were ill-prepared and had done nothing to tackle the suspected triad members attacking protesters.

Compiled by Pearl Liu


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