September 25, 2019, 06:45 PM
A group of Hong Kong riot police was captured on camera kicking what appeared to be a person wearing a yellow shirt.
The incident took place during a rally in Yuen Long on Saturday, Sep. 21.
"Yellow object"
Acting Senior Superintendent (Operations) of New Teritorries Vasco Williams said at a police press briefing on Saturday, Sep. 21, that police were surrounding a "yellow object", not a person.
The "yellow object", which had a distinctive human form, was lying on the ground without much movement.
Vasco Williams, Acting Senior SP(Ops)(NTN Regional HQ) argues police didn’t assault or kick “this yellow object”. This is the said video obtained from Yuen Long Residents. A Human is not an object. #antiELAB #ExtraditionLaw #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/SKOWTPLllX
— Galileo Cheng (@galileocheng) September 23, 2019
A woman could be heard shouting repeatedly, "Ah sir (police), don't hit him! Stop!"
More distant voices in the background were shouting for the police to "stop hitting" the man as well.
Over 20 police officers were seen in the video.
A few police officers who were surrounding the "yellow object" later shone their torchlights upwards towards the source of the woman's voice.
Police often shine bright lights towards cameras held by journalists and passersby -- a tactic that protesters say is a deliberate attempt to prevent people from documenting the scene.
Here's another perspective of the incident:
A high definition, in focus video showing the malpractice by the police, shot by Yuen Long resident Ben, obtained for @HKFrontline - Acting Senior SP (Ops)(NTN HQ) Vasco Williams, that is not an ‘yellow object’ #antiELAB #ExtraditionLaw #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/X7RH9QwiZX
— Galileo Cheng (@galileocheng) September 23, 2019
The video was taken from above by a resident at Fung Yau Street North.
Subsequent photos emerged of the man sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall.
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Man part of volunteer group
According to Apple Daily, the man was part of a volunteer group called "Protect the Children", which is a group consisting of mostly elderly Hongkongers who show up at protest sites in yellow vests to help protesters leave to escape from the approaching police.
They were also often seen trying to negotiate with the police.
Previously, a member of the group called "Uncle Chan" was photographed getting pepper sprayed.
Photos from Reuters and 達志影像 of 73-year-old Uncle Chan pepper-sprayed by #HongKong police. pic.twitter.com/ijuVdiSJIy
— Rachel Cheung (@rachel_cheung1) September 21, 2019
Video was "doctored"
Williams, who claimed the video circulating on the Internet was "unfocused", also said the police have seen other "clear" videos which did not show any form of assault.
These videos proved the resident's video was "doctored to show police kicking people", he said.
"The genuine online feed showed there was no such assault," he added.
Williams also said there is "no malpractice by the police whatsoever in the clear video".
The video was not shown at the press briefing.
When asked to show the video, Williams told reporters to find it on Facebook by themselves.
Williams also defended accusations of police brutality.
"Now, knowing you've been videoed, do you think any police officer would be that stupid to assault someone under detention? I don't think so."
"Maker" of video should come forward to the police to be interviewed
In addition, Williams said the "maker of the video" should "come forward" to show them the "original copy of the video" so police can interview him or her.
"Any incident of police violence will be investigated," he said.
"It's very easy to make allegations when you don't have to come forward to verify the allegations, isn't it."
Williams' remarks, especially those that claimed the person police were kicking was an "object", were met with disapproval.
Church group responds
After the police made their statement, the Good Neighbour North District Church said they have spoken to local residents, who said they saw a person, and not an object.
In an update on Tuesday, Sep. 24, they said the man from the "Protect the Children" volunteer group, which is part of the church, has safely returned home.
Previously, they said the man was charged with "assaulting a police officer".Over 1,500 people arrested so far, and counting
About 80 people have been arrested over the last weekend of protests.
This brings the number to 1,556 since protests first broke out in June, South China Morning Post reported.
Those arrested were aged between 12 and 83.
The unrest in Hong Kong, sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill, has morphed into a broader call for democratic rights to be preserved, and a larger movement against the government and police.
Protesters have maintained they will not back down until all "five demands" have been met, one of which is the establishment of an independent inquiry to look into claims of police brutality.
Low public trust in the police?
Police, who were accused of going undercover and slipping into crowds of protesters to make arrests easier, were also accused of using excessive force on protesters.
Injuries that protesters claimed they sustained include brain hemorrhage and bone fractures.
Recently, results from an online survey, which was supposedly taken by more than 130,000 respondents, showed that almost 90 percent of participants gave the police force a low rating that nears zero.
Police officer condemned protesters online
Separate from this particular incident involving a man allegedly being assaulted by the police, Williams was embroiled in further controversy when he commented on LinkedIn using his real account.
In his comments, he denounced the protesters' demands as "nonsense", and said they were clearly advocating for Hong Kong independence.
Mr Vasco Williams, NT North superintendent, has undoubtedly singlehandedly created a new crisis for the police just now. He may not realise that his LinkedIn comments are publicly viewable (or maybe he does but doesn’t care) pic.twitter.com/4TMAlWGr9r
— Kris Cheng (@krislc) September 23, 2019
You can see a video of the police press briefing here:
Top image adapted via Apply Daily & @galileocheng
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