Hong Kong police slammed for tackling 12-year-old to the ground during protests

Hong Kong police have been slammed for tackling a 12-year-old to the ground amid the ongoing pro-democracy protests. A new wave of demonstrations began on September 6 with city residents opposing the rescheduling of Legislative Assembly elections. However, it prompted the police, which is aligned with China to arrests hundreds of protestors despite international opposition.

In the aftermath of the ‘harrowing’ incident, a video of the same was posted by student media group of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on the internet. The enraging video clip shows the little girl walking along the sidewalk when riot police stop her. The 12-year old then starts running dodging police, however, is caught and pinned to the ground.

Defending its officer, the police department publically released a statement later. In the statement, they asserted that the officer had deployed “minimum necessary force” in the situation. In addition, Hong Kong police also said that all the protestors including the girl had been intercepted for ‘stop and search’. Highlighting that the girl had broken the city’s ban on public gatherings, they revealed that she was a penalty ticket with a fine of 2,000 Hong Kong dollars.

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"During the interaction, she suddenly ran away in a suspicious manner. Officers, therefore, chased and subdued her with the use of minimum necessary force."

Elections Postponed

Hong Kong Elections were originally scheduled to have taken place on September 7, 2020, but city's Chief Executive Carrie Lam postponed the vote to 2021 citing COVID-19 concerns. As per reports, the police have arrested 289 protestors for unlawful assembly, with another 19 held for charges including disorderly conduct, obstructing and assaulting police. 

In addition, the arrests were made in Yau Ma Tei and Mongkok neighbourhoods in Kowloon, famous for their night markets that attract lots of tourists. The police department on its Facebook page said that such protests are illegal under a newly enacted national security law. Hong Kong protests erupted last year over an extradition law which has been touted has Beijing's efforts to establish control over the autonomous city. The coronavirus pandemic has put a stop to the widespread anti-government protests but smaller groups were actively participating in rallies from time to time. 

Read: Hong Kong Police Arrests Hundreds As Protestors Return To Streets On September 7

Read: Hong Kong Police Arrest 90 At Protests Over Election Delay