In the early morning of Monday, November 18, 2019, I had a scary encounter with the Hong Kong Police. It was at the height of the Siege of PolyU. Hundreds of people had been arrested already, with hundreds (some of them were believed to be our students) still inside campus.
A colleagues called me from a small park at the corner of Winslow Street and Chatham Road, around 1 AM. The park was only about 100 meters from the rear entrance to PolyU at the back of Block Y. She told me that a Catholic bishop and a number of legislators had gathered there, trying to negotiate with the police to assist the students on campus.
I didn’t think I could be of any help. But decided to get down there anyway, to offer my support. I put on a white long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and dress shoes, in the way I normally go to work. When I stepped onto an elevated walkway, about 4 blocks (~300 meters) away from the park, I saw that the walkway was practically empty. Except for ~5 riot police in front of me in the direction of the park. Actually, all I could tell was that they dressed like riot police - in reality I could not confirm that they were actually police officers.
As soon as they saw me, they rushed towards me, menacingly. I instinctively raised my arms above my head, to show that I was unarmed. They demanded, in a very loud and threatening way, to know why I was on the street. I froze, then told them I am a staff of the university and was just trying to find out the situation of the students. At least one of them screamed: “What students?” “There are no students there. Just rioters.” “If you are with them, you will be arrested too.” “Go away!” I had wanted to reason with them. But I have to admit that, at that point, I was quite a bit scared - by their threatening speech, menacing posture, and waving of weapons.
I started to back up, with my arms still in the air. I was truly worried that they might beat me up. I have seen too many people being beaten up by the police recently, even right in front of numerous reporters and cameras. At that middle of he the night on the walkway, there were no witnesses. One of them screamed: “Turn around and go away.” I did.
In a few minutes, I was back inside my apartment complex. At that point I realised I was shaking all over. I had not been so scared for quite a while. I was a bit ashamed that I did not reasoned more strongly with the police. As a citizen, I have the right to be on the street. They have no right to stop me going where I wanted. I shudder to think what could have happened to me had I tried to take a photograph of them.
I can understand better now, in a more personal way, why there is such depth of hatred against the police.
2 comments:
I hope I won't come across as facetious when I ask you: have you been tear gassed yet? As one of the estimated over 88% of Hong Kongers who have inhaled that noxious substance sometime in the past seven months, thanks in no small part to the police's fondness for unleashing it, I can say that after this happens, it really has a negative effect on one's view of the local constabulary.
Yes, I did. It was during the siege of PolyU. Someone started a fire on Chatham Road near the north (rear) entrance. And a crowd was blocking the roads nearby. I was just checking out the situation when the smell hit. I didn't see the firing of the canister. But we all ran as fast as we could away from it. All the while calling to people up in he buildings to close their windows.
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