Attack Marks Darkest Day Of The Elections: Junius Ho

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho who was stabbed while campaigning on Wednesday morning says the attack on him marks the "darkest day" of the ongoing district council election campaign.

In comments posted on Weibo after he was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital, Ho said the pro-establishment camp is being threatened by "black forces".

He said there is no order or fairness left for the elections, but he will not be scared by such attacks.

The outspoken lawmaker, whose comments regularly attract condemnation from rival lawmakers and critics, said violence must be stopped and peace restored in Hong Kong.

The attack on Ho comes days after another candidate, the Democratic Party's Andrew Chiu, was attacked and his ear bitten off by a man who also stabbed three other people.

Pro-establishment lawmakers, meanwhile, issued “the most severe condemnation” of the attack, saying the incident has affected the fairness of the upcoming elections.

Ho, who is running in the Lok Chui constituency in Tuen Mun against Lo Chun-yu from the Democratic Party and independent Chiang Ching-man, was hospitalised with a two centimetre-long chest wound.

FTU lawmaker Wong Kwok-kin, the DAB’s Elizabeth Quat, and the Liberal Party’s Siu Ka-fai said they believe the assailant had intended to kill Ho.

Quat said the election process is now facing serious violence. She described the stabbing as a "horrible incident" and questioned why Hong Kong has turned into such a state.

She also warned that this incident could trigger copycat behaviour and questioned how the government is going to ensure the safety of the candidates and the fairness of the elections.

DAB chairwoman Starry Lee also slammed the Electoral Affairs Commission for failing to take action, saying more than 100 district offices of her party have been vandalised and many of its candidates harassed in recent months.

In a statement, a government spokesman strongly condemned the attack and appealed to the public to be peaceful and rational and respect different opinions.