A man or a 'yellow object'? Hong Kong police dispute assault allegations

Riot police officers in Yuen Long, Hong Kong on Sept 21, 2019. PHOTO: NYTIMES

HONG KONG (NYTIMES) - Distrust between pro-democracy protesters and Hong Kong police deepened on Tuesday (Sept 24) after a senior police official suggested that a man in a yellow shirt, whom officers are accused of abusing in video captured last weekend, was in fact a "yellow object".

At least two bystanders in Yuen Long, a neighbourhood that has been the site of some of Hong Kong's worst violence during its months-long protest movement, filmed what was widely interpreted to be police officers kicking the man as he lay on the ground last Saturday.

But at a news conference on Monday, Mr Vasco Williams, the police official, insisted that the officers had done nothing wrong and that videos appearing to show otherwise were doctored.

Mr Williams' description of the man as a "yellow object" - suggesting that officers in the sometimes-blurry videos could have been surrounding a bag or a vest, not a human - roiled protesters and opposition lawmakers who considered it obfuscation straight out of China's playbook.

"It sums up the insensitive, callous nature of the Hong Kong police force," said Ms Claudia Mo, a pro-democracy legislator who has supported the protests. "It's a communist tactic: You dehumanise, you demonise, you reduce your enemies to nothing and then you attack."

The flare-up illustrated how precipitously views of the Hong Kong police force - once known as Asia's finest - have deteriorated as officers have cracked down on sometimes increasingly violent protests.

Witness videos reviewed by The New York Times indicate that the "yellow object" was in fact a man. But it is less clear whether the officers kicked the man - the scene around them was chaotic, and other officers aimed their flashlights at cameras to try to obscure the view.

Mr Roy Chan, a preacher at the Good Neighbour North District Church, said the man seen in the video is a member of a campaign known as "Protect Our Kids" that has tried to act as a peacekeeper during the often violent protests.

He said the man had bleeding gums and was experiencing dizziness from the encounter. The man was charged with assaulting a police officer, Mr Chan said.

"According to the footage and the report from our members, we have strong reasons to believe that these injuries are caused by police abuses of power," he said in a statement that did not identify the man. "We are profoundly concerned and angered by the situation."

Mr Williams, an acting senior superintendent, defended the police officers by saying that the videos were not clear enough to determine what had happened.

"You mentioned a video which shows what appears to be an officer kicking a yellow object on the ground," he said to a reporter. "Now, we don't know what that object is, but there are other videos that are more clear that show the entire incident, and there's no malpractice by the police whatsoever in the clear video."

It was not known which video he was referring to. Police did not immediately respond to a request for a link to the video.

Later in the news conference, Mr Williams asserted that bystanders had "doctored the video to show police kicking people", without offering evidence.

He received support on Tuesday from Mrs Carrie Lam, the city's beleaguered chief executive, who declined to take a stance on the video.

"It would be very difficult for me as a chief executive to offer my own opinion on individual video footage or shots to determine what is right, what is wrong, what is true, what is fake, because there has been so far always different versions to the same incident," she said at a regular news conference before the weekly Executive Council meeting.

The various video clips circulating on social media and messaging apps popular with protesters show several dozen officers in an alley, surrounding the man in yellow. At least one video showed a man wearing similar clothing leaned up against a wall with his arms behind his back.

While the video quality leaves it unclear whether the officers kicked the man, protesters saw such abuse as consistent with the recent conduct of officers, who have often referred to protesters as "cockroaches" and have been criticised by several international watchdogs.

Ms Agnes Chow, an activist who was arrested in August, said the incident showed that the government "wouldn't criticise, condemn or investigate the police force that has gone out of control".

She added: "This shows the police's complete lack of respect for protesters, the basic respect not just for protesters but also for humans."

Hong Kong is preparing for what is expected to be a tense week. Demonstrations are expected this Friday, the fifth anniversary of the end of the Umbrella Movement, and on Oct 1, China's National Day holiday, which this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China under the Communist Party.

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