Police Unions Slam 'beasts' Who Are Out Of Control

Two police unions on Monday blasted anti-extradition protesters, saying they have been acting like beasts and are out of control.

Lam Chi Wai, chairman of the Junior Police Officers' Association, a major union representing officers ranked below inspector, said the protesters acted like "beasts" and asked where their deep animosity came from.

Asked if the police were torn between the government and protesters, Lam said it was the police's duty to enforce the law and uphold the rule of law.

But he said it appeared that Hongkongers had abandoned the rule of law.

The chairman of the Police Inspectors' Association, Wilkie Ng, meanwhile, said the protesters were "out of control".

"I can describe that the people is out of control, and they are not like normal protesters," he said.

Ng added the extradition bill controversy is a political issue that should be solved in a political means.

“The police officers are only maintaining law and order in the society of Hong Kong, and we should not be targeted. We are not supposed to be a target of the issue,” he said.

Ng said his colleagues' morale remained "stable" and he hoped the public would see that the protests were not as "peaceful" as protesters had claimed.