CE Asks People Not To 'smear' Police Over Protest

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has urged people not so "smear" the police over their response to this week's massive protests against extradition law plans, amid continued anger over officers firing tear gas and rubber bullets at demonstrators.

The police have faced numerous accusations of an excessive use of force, with claims officers deliberately aimed their weapons at protesters' heads, that they fired projectiles at people at close range, and that they verbally abused demonstrators and journalists.

Angry residents have posted photos and videos on social media of alleged examples of police brutality during Wednesday's protests in Admiralty, with some sharing pictures of the senior officers suspected of ordering the use of weapons.

At a media briefing on Saturday – where the CE announced that Legco will suspend its scrutiny of the extradition bill – she was asked whether she stood by the authorities' decision to classify Wednesday's clashes as "a riot".

Lam replied: "I think everybody who watched the TV news on that day will notice that the police were doing defensive protection of the Legislative Council building. Some of the protesters were quite violent and if you look at some of the weapons the police had seized, they were not equipment that one would deploy in a peaceful protest, or a peaceful assembly on a social issue."

"Have you looked at the bricks? Large numbers of bricks, being thrown at the police. Have you looked at the cars being deliberately placed in the middle of the road to obstruct traffic? Did you know that one of my principal officials was sort of detained for several hours on the road because of a blockade?"

Lam said she hoped people would take into consideration the actions of a number of the tens of thousands of protesters before coming to a conclusion as to whether the violence amounted to "rioting" or not.

The police said this week that at least 11 people were arrested following Wednesday's clashes on suspicion of "riot-related" offences.

A conviction for rioting can lead to imprisonment for up to 10 years.