Police Attacked Amid Another Day Of Unrest

Police have accused protesters of using a ‘sharp-edged object’ to slash the back of an officer's neck at the Kwun Tong station.

Video apparently of the incident posted online showed the officer was walking with a group of other police when a man suddenly rushed up and stabbed him on the right side of his neck with what appears to be a box cutter.

Another officer was seen wrestling a man to the ground immediately after the attack.

In a statement, the force said the officer was conscious when he was taken to hospital, and two people were arrested on the spot.

Police say the officers were there to investigate a report of criminal damage.

That was just one of many incidents across the city from Tuen Mun to Tseung Kwan O on Sunday, as anti-government protesters once again attacked officers, government buildings and MTR stations, as well as shops, banks, and offices of people and companies viewed as being close to Beijing.

Police say protesters assaulted one officer by kicking him in the head. It said ‘rioters’ in Shatin threw petrol bombs from above, setting a police vehicle on fire.

The force also said officers came under attack from protesters hurling bricks and other hard objects, and warned that further dispersal and arrest operations are forthcoming.

There were numerous arrests made during the day. Tear gas was used against demonstrators during confrontations in Tsuen Wan, Shatin, and Tuen Mun; while pepper spray was used to try to control crowds in Mong Kok and Kwun Tong.

A doctor from the Tseung Kwan O Hospital was among those arrested in the district. Police had entered the Popcorn mall to confront demonstrators, drawing condemnation from the crowd. An officer brandished pepper spray and pointed it at the people, without actually using it.

Dozens of angry, masked protesters targeted shops run by the Maxims chain at New Town Plaza at Shatin, as well as a Bank of China ATM, and several other stores. A video posted online by Chinese University journalism lecturer Vivian Tam appeared to show one officer drawing his weapon and pointing it at people near the mall, before re-holstering his weapon.

The mall shut down early at around 5.30pm, as did shopping centres elsewhere, including Cityplaza in Tai Koo.

Other China-owned banks were targeted in Tai Wai, with protesters setting fire to some ATM machines.

In Tai Po, government officers were smashed up, as was an office of New People’s Party legislator Eunice Yung, as well as another BOCHK branch.

A foul-smelling bag full of insects was spotted on the ground there, sending even riot police scattering.

Police say seven people, including a 13-year-old, was arrested on suspicion of committing criminal damage at a Best Mart 360 shop in the Metroplaza mall in Kwai Fong. They say the suspects knocked goods off the shelves, but staff at the store were unhurt.

Meanwhile, roads in multiple district were blocked, including Nathan Road in Mong Kok for much of the afternoon.

Debris was thrown onto the tracks of the MTR’s East Rail at Sha Tin station. And a national flag was partially burnt during a protest at Wong Tai Sin square right on the flag pole.

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