Letters | Hong Kong police are the true defenders of a city rocked by protests

Hong Kong protesters have been getting increasingly confrontational since 2010. The police used textbook tactics to disperse the crowd on June 12 and thereafter

Hong Kong extradition bill

Letters

Published: 8:00am, 29 Jun 2019

Why you can trust SCMP

The police’s role as the true protector of Hong Kong’s style of democracy has become more difficult, with protesters becoming increasingly violent since 2003.

In 2003, those marching against the legislation of Article 23 were peaceful. In 2005, Korean farmers came to Hong Kong and received worldwide media coverage for the ways in which they attacked the police. Hong Kong protesters learned from the Korean farmers.

Between 2010 and 2012, Hong Kong protesters became more confrontational, using sit-ins and blocking roads, and the police responded by making large-scale arrests.

In 2014, during the “umbrella movement”, protesters became violent almost from the start, storming the Legislative Council. The police use of tear gas was a shock to Hongkongers. The ensuing stalemate caused 79 days of blocked roads and disruption to the general public.

In the case of the Mong Kok riot in 2016, the police initially decided not to use tear gas or other less-than-lethal weapons in the hope that the crowd would quiet down. However, the crowd became emboldened and attacked the police with increased ferocity.

This month, the protesters were again prepared with sharpened poles, bricks, goggles and masks. They came ready for a riot but, this time, were unprepared for the response of the police. The police did not stand back and take a beating, they stood their ground, protected government buildings and the rule of law.

The police action to remove the protesters on June 12 was a textbook display of anti-riot tactics; it was done in a professional and controlled manner. Creating distance between the crowd and the police, especially by the use of tear gas, minimises injuries.

The march of 2 million on June 16 was, I believe, a response from the whole community against violence in Hong Kong. The students were told to calm down and not use violence, and the police stood back based on the understanding that the protesters would not be violent.

Hence, on June 17, the police sent out negotiators and the students stopped blocking the road as they knew that violence had lost them community support.

Now, as can be seen, whether there is violence is completely dependent on the actions of the protesters.

Neil Dunn, Kowloon Tong

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