Intern Journalist Hurt While Covering Protest

A student journalist suffered what appeared to be a serious head injury on Monday night while covering protests outside the Sham Shui Po police station.

Reports from the scene suggest the reporter, thought to be an intern from Chu Hai College, was struck by a canister of tear gas fired by police.

Other journalists who were next to the victim say riot police had charged forward into a group of them, even though they had shouted out that one of them had been hurt.

Their calls were ignored, and police shoved their shields towards the reporters, blocking some from taking video of what was happening.

One reporter from the Ta Kung Pao newspaper said he tried to stop the police charge by grabbing onto an officer’s collar. A policeman then forced him to the ground and took him into the station, but he was later released without charge.

The Chu Hai College Student Union said in a social media post that it understands the student was not able to immediately move his upper body but that he is now in a stable condition in hospital. It said it strongly condemns the police for using “excessive force” by firing tear gas at people.