Opinion | When Hong Kong police hurt our children, rather than protect them, they shatter our trust in good governance
- The clash at Admiralty is bringing back the terrors of Tiananmen, as Hong Kong parents beg for their children’s safety. When a city turns the police on its young, it is breaking an implicit social contract with its citizens
Ambulances and stretchers were seen coming and going from the protest site, with injuries on both sides. Young protesters were seen crying. We saw different organisations such as the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union and the Civil Human Rights Front condemning the use of excessive force by the police.
Horror and rage permeated the internet. Many condemned the police for their brutality. A frequent comment was that it was “scary and outrageous” for the police to use tear gas at mostly peaceful demonstrations. Reports described alarming scenes of bullets being fired when people got too close to the police.
Concerned netizens pleaded with the authorities to “protect my child”, or “save my child” – pleas that bring to mind the raw terrors and sorrow of June 4. In one video, a young man who describes himself as a secondary school student is heard reasoning with officers holding up riot shields: “The Hong Kong police I know really protected the public, and protected our safety, instead of hurting us.”
History has an uncanny, tragic way of repeating itself. June is a month of heart-wrenching juxtapositions: students versus the army, our children versus the police, people versus power.