Advertisement
Occupy Central
Opinion

Stirring nationalist fervour over jailing of police officers who beat Occupy protester will only hurt Hong Kong

Dong Lei says the uproar over the jailing of the officers is straying into dangerous territory, given the sharp divisions in Hong Kong

2-MIN READ2-MIN
Supporters of police officers argue with pro-democracy protesters outside a court where seven police officers were convicted of kicking and punching activist Ken Tsang during an Occupy protest more than two years ago. Photo: Reuters
Dong Lei
As I watched the video of the seven Hong Kong police officers beating up a protester at the time the news broke, I must admit that it looked bad. Let’s be clear: the officers are not heroes, as some have suggested. They failed at their jobs, jobs we entrusted them with. Upon learning more about the incident, however, I found myself torn between a reluctance to condone their actions and an unwillingness to fault them. They are only human after all.

Hong Kong police chief calls on public to understand ‘tremendous pressure’ faced by officers in Occupy protests

We should not be shocked that some people would – in the heat of the moment, without any premeditation and with plenty of provocation – seek back-alley justice. We know that this kind of thing could have happened in any country, at any time in human history. And, as far as the severity of the transgression is concerned, the case is not the worst kind of police brutality.

However, this is not to criticise the judge, whose integrity and professionalism, like other members of our esteemed judiciary, should not be questioned. Race and nationality are of no relevance to the discussion.

Hong Kong lawmaker brands British judge a ‘yellow heart’ after seven policemen are jailed

Of course, members of the judiciary are not infallible, and their judgments are in turn judged in the court of public opinion. Judges need to understand and accept that. They also need to recognise that there exists a horrible political divide in our society.

Select Voice
Select Speed
1x
AI-generated voice