Teresa Cheng Condemns 'shocking Attack' On Lawyer

Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng said on Monday that an attack on a lawyer in Causeway Bay at the weekend was "shocking and unacceptable", and that problems cannot be solved through the use of force.

Cheng said anyone who breaks the law in order to achieve a goal damages the spirit of the rule of law, adding that wounding is a serious crime.

She made the comments in response to an online video showing lawyer Chan Tze-chin being assaulted by people dressed in black after he reportedly got into a dispute over roads being blocked during a protest on Sunday.

Police had said that at around 3:30pm a 41-year-old man was walking through Lee Garden Hill Road in Causeway Bay when he encountered dozens of black-clad protesters blocking the road with debris.

Several people began hitting him with umbrellas as he lay on the ground, and he was seen shortly afterwards getting up to leave the scene with his shirt torn.

Chan was sent to hospital after sustaining injuries to his head, hands, and back.

Law Society President Melissa Pang issued a statement on Sunday over the incident.

"Wounding is a serious crime. Violence is violence no matter what principles lie behind it. It is absolutely unacceptable," Pang said.