Rights Front Warns Against Any Revenge Attacks

The Civil Human Rights Front on Thursday called on supporters not to consider revenge attacks after their group's convenor, Jimmy Sham, was assaulted by a group of people.

The group’s vice-convenor, Eric Lai, said the root cause of the attack on Wednesday night was the lack of a response from the government to the five demands of protesters, and so people should target the system and not bring ethnicity into the picture.

Lai said Sham could not see his attackers clearly as he was covering his face for protection during the assault.

Sham, who had organised mass rallies against the government as part of the ongoing agitation, was in a stable condition on Thursday and staying in hospital for observation. He had suffered three to five head injuries but has no bone fractures, said Lai.

Lai said it’s a welcome move that police officers have offered protection for Sham after the attack. But the front's vice-convenor said he hopes the force will handle the case more professionally after officers accepted Sham’s blood-stained backpack as evidence only after they front asked them to.

Sham – who is also running in a district council election in Sha Tin against incumbent Michael Wong – had also been attacked in the summer. He was assaulted in August by two masked men armed with a baseball bat and knives.

The front called on the public to take part in an anti-government march in Tsim Sha Tsui on Sunday to show that they won’t be scared or silenced by such assaults.

Lai said they haven't received permission from the police yet, but said he was hopeful the commissioner will allow the protest to go ahead as both police and protesters want a peaceful demonstration.