Hong Kong protests: police chief denies force trying to ‘rewrite history’ after senior officer calls views on MTR station attack lopsided
- Police Commissioner Chris Tang says focus should be on evidence and facts about the incident
- Comments come after senior superintendent said investigation found both sides were ‘on equal footing’ in their use of force
Hong Kong’s police chief on Thursday sought to defuse controversy over remarks by a senior officer about attacks in Yuen Long that occurred during social unrest last year, saying the force should avoid unnecessary statements to prevent misunderstanding.
Police Commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung’s comments came a day after police arrested 13 people, including opposition lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, over the violence on July 21 last year.
A senior officer challenged previous media reports of the incident describing a group of men, clad mostly in white, beating commuters and protesters, with police saying further investigation showed both sides had contributed to the escalation of violence that evening.
Tang said: “I think we, as the police, we do not have any intent to write or rewrite any history. History will judge itself. Someone will unleash that it is an indiscriminate attack. Some will say it is on equal footing. I think we should focus on evidence and facts. We should not comment too much on other issues.”
The violence was a turning point in the social unrest that gripped the city beginning in June last year, sparked by a now-abandoned extradition bill.
The police response prompted a public outcry, with officers accused of colluding with the aggressors by arriving late to the scene, an accusation dismissed by then-police commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung.
Tang said on Thursday he agreed it took 39 minutes after a report was received for officers to first arrive on the scene, adding the time frame fell short of expectation. The force would study how to make improvements, he said.
