Hong Kong leaders apologize to mosque for water cannon hit

A lamp outside the mosque is sprayed by the blue-dyed liquid in Hong Kong, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, after a water cannon truck prayed a stinging blue-dyed liquid as police moved to clear the road of protesters and barricades outside a mosque. Local broadcaster RTHK reported that the people hit were guarding the mosque and few protesters were nearby, and the Hong Kong police force said it was an "unintended impact" of its operation to disperse protesters and later sent a representative to meet the mosque's Imam. Hong Kong officials apologized to leaders of a mosque after riot police sprayed the building’s gate and some people nearby with a water cannon while trying to contain pro-democracy demonstrations.

The semiautonomous Chinese city’s leader, Carrie Lam, and its police chief visited the Kowloon Mosque on Monday to say sorry to the chief imam and Muslim community leaders. They left without commenting but the mosque leaders told reporters that the officials apologized. During Sunday’s protest, a police water cannon truck that was passing by the mosque suddenly sprayed a stinging blue-dyed liquid at a handful of people standing in front of its gate. A lawmaker who filmed the incident said he and several others went to the hospital to check for injuries.