Police Go Live On Facebook After Ditching Briefing

Police staged a live broadcast on Facebook on Monday afternoon – to broadcast their take on what happened during the weekend's protests – after cancelling the regular press conference because of a silent protest by some of the journalists present.

The force said the six reporters who put on helmets with posters reading "Investigate police brutality, stop police lies" had behaved irresponsibly by refusing to remove them or leave the room.

The usual face for the force, Chief Superintendent John Tse, instead took to Facebook to read out a statement flagging up selected events from the weekend's anti-government protests.

The live stream was greeted with several thousand emojis from viewers, with around 3,500 of them giving the force the thumbs up and more than a thousand a heart symbol. This compared to around 3,000 angry faces.

The broadcast attracted more than 12,000 comments, a large majority of them positive.

Tse said in his statement that 325 people aged between 14 and 54 were arrested from Friday to Sunday for various offences, including a 48-year-old man accused of biting off the ear of Democratic Party district councillor Andrew Chiu. Two men accused of beating up the alleged attacker were also arrested.

Tse also said that the force had no choice but to storm several shopping malls on Sunday following acts of vandalism. During the raids, officers pointed guns at shoppers and arrested two journalists covering the events.

"Police do not reverse the cause and effect. It is because rioters vandalised shops recklessly in these shopping malls that police officers were bound to go into these places to enforce the law," Tse said. "Do not make up excuses to glorify rioters' violence," he added.

Also appearing in the broadcast was deputy chief fire officer Derek Chan. He dismissed rumours that a firefighter seen being shoved around by police after his truck was hit by a tear gas cannister on Saturday was going to be punished.

On Sunday, police and the Fire Services Department issued a joint statement blaming the bust-up on a "misunderstanding".

Chan added that his department has since been in communication with the police about the work of firefighters.