Police ‘sandwiched in political storm’ during Hong Kong’s violent extradition bill protest defend operation while former officers brand tactics ‘feeble and a failure’
- Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo says officers adopted restrained and tolerant attitude that allowed protesters to express their opinions
- But critics say force failed to learn lessons from previous disturbances and had no courage to use weapons or take swift action
In deciding their strategy on Wednesday, the police’s priority was to secure Hong Kong’s legislature and government buildings first rather than remove protesters violently demonstrating against a controversial extradition bill, a senior inside source told the South China Morning Post.
“Political problems must be solved by a political means. If we’d dispersed the protesters today, they will come back tomorrow and the day after, if the fundamental problem is not solved,” the source said. The bill would allow the transfer of fugitives from Hong Kong to places it does not have a current arrangement with, including mainland China.
“Our core duty is to defend the legislature and the government headquarters to make sure the administration functions. We only fight back when attacked. But it is not fair for us to be sandwiched in a political storm.”
The operation was questioned by government officials and the force’s own officers, with at least one of them describing the lack of decisiveness in handling the protesters early on – well before their numbers grew – “a total failure”.
But Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo Wai-chung said that the force had adopted a restrained and tolerant attitude all morning, allowing protesters to express their opinions.
The crowd, equipped with umbrellas and goggles, grew from hundreds to more than 20,000 in less than 45 minutes at around 7am and occupied all roads leading to the Legislative Council. They were seen gathering metal poles to add to bricks they had pried up from the walkways earlier.
No police officers stopped them or appeared prepared to disperse the crowds at that time. But nine hours later, anti-riot officers fired a first round of tear gas, followed by rubber bullets and beanbags.
They fought back until their defence lines could not take the encroachment by the protesters any longer, the police said.
“When our defences suffered a tremendous hit, we were forced to use weapons to stop violent radicals from charging. It is a [riot] now,” Lo said, reiterating that it was not a clearance operation.
A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that he was furious about the daytime operation and that the force was to blame for the roadblocks since it had been warned about the clashes days ago.
“It is a total failure. The force deployed 5,000 elite officers to handle the mob, but where were they?” said the official.
“The opposition groups warned days ago they would besiege the buildings and occupy roads. But the force did nothing to kill that chance and let the protesters take control. It’s very disappointing.”
Security consultant and former police superintendent Clement Lai Ka-chi, who helped the force set up the Counter Terrorism Response Unit and went through the 2014 Occupy movement, said the force lacked a sense of crisis and called its performance “shameful”.
It’s shameful. The dawn operation was very poor
Lai claimed that some of his friends who were members of the Special Tactical Squad – also known as the blue team – were deployed overnight when the crowds started gathering in Tamar Park. But the team was asked to sign off and go home at around 2am.
“The force thought the crowds were quiet and therefore dismissed the squad. But the protesters had been observing police movements and gathered crowds within a short period of time at 6am when the police presence was loose,” Lai said.
“Then it is hard for the officers to get back to the scene and take control. It’s shameful. The dawn operation was very poor.”
Lai also slammed the force for not learning lessons from a South Korean farmers’ protest against World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong in 2005, the Mong Kok riot in 2016 and the recent overnight protest outside the legislature on Sunday, when protesters took whatever was available on the streets, including bricks, rubbish bins and metal barriers, as weapons.
The same scenario also played out during Wednesday’s riot, as protesters dug bricks from the pavement and stole road signs and metal poles from nearby construction sites to attack officers.
“Why didn’t the force glue the bricks like in 2005 and 2016, and remove all construction materials from the area? The protesters could take whatever was readily available as weapons. Why didn’t the force learn a lesson?” Lai said.
He suspected the force did not disperse the crowds immediately because the protesters outnumbered the officers being deployed.
Concerning whether to bear the blame, I suggest we consider who initiated the violence
A former chief superintendent, who handled the 79-day Occupy movement in 2014, was also critical. He called the force “feeble” and “slow”, saying the management had no courage to use weapons and take swift action.
“It was not the first time protesters rushed the roads and took control. The force did a risk assessment and had no excuse for letting it happen, once again,” the ex-police veteran said.
“Even after the crowds constructed a brick barricade, the force still took no action. What were they waiting for? Maybe management was afraid of being accused of using excessive force.”
Rejecting the accusations, Senior Superintendent Kong Wing-cheung from the force’s public relations office said: “At this stage, we are focusing our resources on the disorder near Legco. I think it was too early to mention removal.
“Concerning whether to bear the blame, I suggest we consider who initiated the violence.”
