Intense confrontation between anti-extradition bill protesters and the
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Po ...
occurred on 12 June 2019 outside the Government Headquarters in
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
* Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
* Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
*Admiralty, Tr ...
,
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...
. The protest was sparked by the government's introduction of the controversial
Fugitive Offenders amendment bill, which was set to go through
second reading
A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature.
In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming, ...
on 12 June despite mass opposition.
40,000 protesters gathered outside the Government Headquarters attempted and successfully stalled the second reading of the bill, though the Police deployed numerous canisters of
tear gas
Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...
,
rubber bullet
Rubber bullets (also called rubber baton rounds) are a type of baton round. Despite the name, rubber bullets typically have either a metal core with a rubber coating, or are a homogeneous admixture with rubber being a minority component. Altho ...
s and
bean bag round
A bean bag round, also known by its trademarked name flexible baton round, is a type of baton round, fired from a shotgun, and used for less lethal apprehension of suspects.
Description
The bean bag round consists of a small fabric "pillow" fi ...
s to disperse the protesters. The government and the police characterised the protest as a "riot", though they later partially retracted the claim and said that only five of the arrestees rioted. The police were widely criticised for its excessive use of force and arrests of protesters inside hospitals. In particular, the kettling of protesters inside
CITIC Tower
CITIC Tower ( zh, 中信大廈) is a 33-storey office building on Tim Mei Avenue, Admiralty, Hong Kong, Admiralty, Hong Kong. It is the corporate headquarters of CITIC Limited, CITIC Pacific Ltd, a conglomerate (company), conglomerate publicly ...
, was widely condemned.
The conflict was the most serious and intense conflict between the police and the protesters during the
early stage of the
2019–20 Hong Kong protests. Protesters began to lay down their five core demands, including the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into police conduct and use of force and the release and exoneration of arrested protesters. Subsequent protests saw protesters and the police clashing with each other as the number of
allegations of police misconduct continued to increase.
Background
The protest was sparked by the introduction of
the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill by the
Hong Kong government
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong Special administrative regions of China, ...
. The bill, if enacted, would have allowed the Hong Kong government to extradite criminal fugitives who are wanted in territories to areas including
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
and
mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
. This created concerns that the bill would subject Hong Kong residents and visitors to the mainland Chinese jurisdiction and legal system, undermining the region's autonomy and its civil liberties.
On 9 June 2019, an estimated 1 million protesters marched on the streets of
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...
to demand the government to withdraw the controversial extradition bill. The march escalated into intense conflicts between the police and the protesters. Chief Executive
Carrie Lam
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ( Cheng; ; born 13 May 1957) is a retired Hong Kong politician who served as the 4th Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022. She served as Chief Secretary for Administration between 2012 and 2017 and Secr ...
announced on the next day that she acknowledged the march protest and understood that were "clearly still concerns" among citizens of Hong Kong over the bill. However, she affirmed that the bill would be passed to the Legislative Council for its second reading on 12 June, despite mass opposition.
In response, activists began to call for a general strike and mobilise members from the public to protest outside the Government Headquarters to stall the bill from passing its second reading.
Timeline
Early stage
A Facebook post calling on people to "enjoy a picnic" at
Tamar Park
Tamar Park () is an urban park in Admiralty, Hong Kong covering around with the design concept of 'perpetual green'.
The park occupies 80% of the Tamar site public space and is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of th ...
on 11 June attracted 2,000 people. In anticipation of the protest the next day, the police force tightened the security. Inside
Admiralty station, about 50 to 60 police officers stopped commuters, mostly teenagers and searched their bags.
[ Pan-democrats arrived to assist the teens and questioned the police's lack of justification for the search, and about 300 passers-by gathered near the site of conflicts, many of them shouted to condemn the police's decision. The police left the station at 9:05 pm.
]
General strike and occupation
A general strike had been called for 12 June, the day of the planned resumption of the second reading of the extradition bill. The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions
The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) was a pro-democracy labour and political group in the Hong Kong. It was established on 29 July 1990. It had 160,000 members in 61 affiliates (mainly trade unions in various sectors) and rep ...
(HKCTU) appealed to workers to join the protest; hundreds of businesses closed for the day and numerous workers went on strike. Affiliate Hong Kong Cabin Crew Federation also called a strike. HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tri ...
, Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered plc is a multinational bank with operations in consumer, corporate and institutional banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retail banking in the UK, and around 9 ...
and Bank of East Asia
The Bank of East Asia Limited, often abbreviated to BEA, is a Hong Kong banking and financial services company, headquartered in Central, Hong Kong. It is currently the largest independent local Hong Kong bank, and one of two remaining family ...
closed some central branches; some of the banks and the Big Four accounting firms
The Big Four are the four largest professional services networks in the world, the global accounting networks Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The four are often grouped because they are comparable in size re ...
had agreed to flexible work arrangements for staff; Hong Kong Jockey Club
The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong, having been founded in 1884. In 1959, it was granted a Royal Charter and renamed The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (). The institution reverted to its original name ...
shut down three of its central betting branches, citing employee safety. The Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union
The Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union (HKPTU) was a pro-democracy trade union, professional association and social concern group in Hong Kong. Until its disbandment in 2021, it was the largest teachers' organisation in Hong Kong with s ...
(HKPTU) called on its members to attend a protest rally after school hours on that day. Student unions of most of the major higher education institutions had also called for student strike on 12 June; 50 social welfare and religious groups also took part in the strike. The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong
The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong (; la, Dioecesis Sciiamchiamensis) is a Latin Church
, native_name_lang = la
, image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, alt = Façade ...
urged the Hong Kong government and the public to show restraint, and the administration "not to rush to amend the extradition bill before fully responding to the concerns of the legal sector and the public."
Another call to "picnic" at Tamar Park on 12 June attracted close to 10,000 responses. The Legislative Council Commission issued an amber security alert. The protest zone outside the building was closed and access to the complex was limited. Sit-ins began in the morning and a large crowd built up at the MTR exit. In the early morning hours, the crowd rushed onto Harcourt Road
Harcourt Road is a major highway in Admiralty, Hong Kong, connecting Central and Wan Chai. It starts at Murray Road and ends at Arsenal Street. The road is 780 metres in length and has four lanes of traffic on either side. The section of Harco ...
and Lung Wo Road, blocking these streets in scenes reminiscent of the 2014 Umbrella Movement
The Umbrella Movement () was a political movement that emerged during the Hong Kong democracy protests of 2014. Its name arose from the use of umbrellas as a tool for passive resistance to the Hong Kong Police's use of pepper spray to dispe ...
protests. A banner with "Majority calls on Carrie Lam to step down" and "Withdraw the extradition bill, defend One Country Two Systems" written on it was hung from the Admiralty Centre footbridge. Around 11 am, the Legislative Council Secretariat announced that the second reading debate on the extradition bill had been postponed indefinitely.
Violent clashes
Police vans carrying riot police began to line up adjacent to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) is one of the two major convention and exhibition venues in Hong Kong, along with AsiaWorld–Expo. It is located in Wan Chai North, Hong Kong Island. Built along the Victoria Harbou ...
on standby, around 1 pm. A source in the pro-Beijing camp
The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp, pro-government camp or pro-China camp refers to a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Beijing central government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) t ...
said that some pro-Beijing legislators were at Central Police District Headquarters, while online groups called on protesters to block vehicles that might be used to transport the legislators to the Legislative Council.
Around 3:20 pm, protesters on Tim Wa Avenue began to charge the police barricades and were doused with pepper spray in reply. Some protesters at the junction of Lung Wo Road and Tim Wa Avenue broke through the barricades and took over Tim Wa Avenue after riot police walked into the government headquarters, leaving a Special Tactical Unit to defend. Protesters also attempted to charge the Legislative Council building. Riot police dispersed the protesters by firing tear gas, beanbag round
A bean bag round, also known by its trademarked name flexible baton round, is a type of baton round, fired from a shotgun, and used for less lethal apprehension of suspects.
Description
The bean bag round consists of a small fabric "pillow" fi ...
s and rubber bullet
Rubber bullets (also called rubber baton rounds) are a type of baton round. Despite the name, rubber bullets typically have either a metal core with a rubber coating, or are a homogeneous admixture with rubber being a minority component. Altho ...
s.
There was a stand-off on Harcourt Road between protesters and the police. Many protesters took shelter in the buildings nearby as more tear gas was fired. As of 6 pm, 22 injured people had been sent to public hospitals. At around 6:20 pm, the Legislative Council Secretariat issued a circular saying Legislative Council President Andrew Leung
Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen (; born 24 February 1951) is a Hong Kong politician who is the current President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco), representing the Industrial (First) functional constituency. From October 2012 to October ...
had called off the meeting.
Protesters remained in the streets outside the AIA Tower in Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
, Queensway outside Pacific Place shopping mall, and at the junction of Arsenal Street and Hennessy Road in Wan Chai into the night. In Central, private cars were employed to block Connaught Road Central
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...
while protesters chanted slogans from the Exchange Square
Exchange may refer to:
Physics
*Gas exchange is the movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Places United States
* Exchange, Indiana, an unincorporated community
* ...
bridge. Protesters defied sustained efforts by police to disperse them after nightfall. By the end of the day, at least 79 protesters and police officers had been treated in hospitals; around 150 tear gas canisters, "several" rounds of rubber bullets, and 20 beanbag shots had been fired during the protest clearance.
Overnight, 2,000 protesters from religious groups held a vigil outside the government headquarters, singing hymns and praying. Various trade unions, businesses and schools also vowed to stage protests. The Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union called for a city-wide strike lasting a week. At least 4,000 Hong Kong teachers followed the call.
Siege of CITIC Tower
According to the CHRF, the police had earlier agreed to peaceful demonstration within the area outside CITIC Tower
CITIC Tower ( zh, 中信大廈) is a 33-storey office building on Tim Mei Avenue, Admiralty, Hong Kong, Admiralty, Hong Kong. It is the corporate headquarters of CITIC Limited, CITIC Pacific Ltd, a conglomerate (company), conglomerate publicly ...
in its letter of no objection. However, the peaceful rally was disrupted by the police when teargas was fired into the middle of the crowd. Videos depicting the police firing tear gas as in a pincer movement on both sides of Lung Wui Road near Citic Tower at around 4 pm went viral on Hong Kong social media. People who were trying to push into the building to flee the gas found the doors locked and themselves cornered by police.
As people trickled through the jammed central revolving door and a small side door, the police fired another two tear gas canisters into the trapped crowd, fuelling panic. Protesters attempted to break down another locked side door in a desperate attempt to gain entry. Pro-democrat legislators criticised the police action which nearly caused a stampede. Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
also criticised the use of tear gas against the trapped crowd.
Police brutality allegations
Use of force
Many videos of aggressive police action appeared online: one showed tear gas
Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...
canisters being fired at peaceful and unarmed protesters, first-aid
First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial int ...
volunteers, and even reporters. One video showed a protester apparently being hit in the face by a police projectile; another showed police firing multiple rounds of tear gas at hundreds of trapped protesters outside CITIC Tower. A ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' video essay showed tear gas was deployed as an "offensive weapon" and that in several cases, unarmed protesters were beaten and dragged by police commanders. On 21 June, Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
published a report examining policing tactics by its team of experts who examined footage of 14 incidents. Video showed apparent unlawful use of batons with the police beating unresisting protesters who were already subdued. The police was also criticised for using rubber bullets dangerously, with the police shooting projectiles directly at protesters' faces. There were also the improper use of riot control agents with peaceful, unarmed passers-by being pepper-sprayed, lack of visible police identification and restrictions on journalists and medics. Amnesty concluded that the use of force by police against the largely peaceful protest was unnecessary and excessive and that police had "violated international human rights law and standards." The right eye of a male teacher from Diocesan Girls' School
Diocesan Girls' School (DGS) (), and Diocesan Girls’ Junior school, one of the oldest girls' schools in Hong Kong and a well known secondary and primary school in Kowloon, HK, was founded in 1860 by the Anglican (Episcopalian) Church (Hong K ...
was ruptured by police projectiles, which permanently affected his eyesight.
Protesters complained about the lack of identifying numbers on the uniforms of the Special Tactical Squad
The Special Tactical Contingent (STC; ), nicknamed the "Raptors" (), commonly known as the Special Tactical Squad (STS), is a specialist riot contingent of the Hong Kong Police Force under the command of the Police Tactical Unit (PTU).
It wa ...
(STS), who were accused of police brutality. During the 2014 Occupy protests, the 2016 Mong Kok civil unrest
Civil unrest occurred in Mong Kok, Hong Kong from the night of 8 February 2016 until the following morning. The incident escalated from the government's crackdown on unlicensed street hawkers during the Chinese New Year holidays. Eventual viole ...
, and the 9 June clashes, police uniforms had always displayed numbers. The numbers appeared to have disappeared since 12 June, when police officers began wearing newly designed uniforms without numbers. Although Secretary Lee claimed there was no space on the new uniforms to display their numbers, it is an operational requirement. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the police complained that personal information of more than 400 officers and about 100 of their family members had been posted online. Activists have also targeted senior officers in the force who are British, questioning the legacy of colonial violence.
Top bodies of the United Nations condemned the actions of police. A spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nati ...
Michelle Bachelet
Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. She previously served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and 2014 to 201 ...
said she was concerned by the "escalation of violence" in Hong Kong, and Rupert Colville said the UN Human Rights Office
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the United Nations Secretariat, Se ...
had also reviewed credible evidence that police were using "less-lethal weapons in ways that are prohibited by international norms". Carrie Lam and Stephen Lo repeatedly sidestepped questions over police violence and rejected protesters' demands for an independent inquiry into the policing of the 12 June protest, only replying that the Complaints Against Police Office
The Complaints Against Police Office (CAPO) is a unit within the Hong Kong Police Force that handles complaints against the force's officers. The Office is part of the Complaints and Internal Investigations Branch of the force's Service Quality ...
(CAPO) and the Independent Police Complaints Council
The Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) is a civilian body of the Government of Hong Kong, part of the two-tier system in which the Hong Kong Police Force investigates complaints made by the public against its members and the IPCC ...
(IPCC) – both of which are internal institutions – would look into the complaints.
Chief superintendents Rupert Dover
Rupert Timothy Alan Dover (, born 19 August 1967) is a retired British-born Assistant Commissioner and Regional Commander of Kowloon West with the Hong Kong Police Force. He retired from the police force in January 2024.
Early life
Dover atte ...
and David Jordan have been singled out by the activists for their handling and suppression of the protest, which injured 22 police officers and 81 protesters. Helen Goodman
Helen Catherine Goodman (born 2 January 1958) is a British former politician who served as Member of Parliament for Bishop Auckland from 2005 to 2019. A member of the Labour Party, she was Deputy Leader of the House of Commons from 2007 to 200 ...
criticised superintendent Justin Shave for ordering his team to fire tear gas at Wu Chi-wai
Wu Chi-wai, MH (, born 18 October 1962) is a Hong Kong politician. He is the former chairman of the Democratic Party from 2016 to 2020 and a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for Kowloon East constituency since 2012. He h ...
, an unarmed Legislative Councilor who was demanding to meet the police's commander. Two people sustained severe injuries according to the police.
Assaults on journalists
The Hong Kong Journalists Association
The Hong Kong Journalists Association ( Chinese: 香港記者協會) is a Hong Kong association that represents journalists in Hong Kong. Established in 1968, the association acts as a trade union for journalists by seeking to improve work ...
(HKJA) accused the police of "trampl ngon reporters" and ignoring their safety. They complained that the police had unreasonably interfered with newsgathering by shining flashlights directly at them to disperse them. A driver for public broadcaster RTHK
Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the public broadcasting service in Hong Kong. GOW, the predecessor to RTHK, was established in 1928 as the first broadcasting service in Hong Kong. As a government department under the Commerce and Econom ...
was hit by a tear gas round and sent to hospital after he suffered a cardiac arrest. The HKJA also said members complained that some police officers had been verbally insulting and abusive, including the use of profanity at a member of the press. Another online video showed riot police firing tear gas rounds directly at a journalist. The HKJA filed a complaint with the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) claiming police had caused bodily harm to 26 journalists during the protests. The police press conference on 13 June was attended by reporters wearing high-visibility vests, helmets and gas masks in protest. The Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journa ...
reported that a journalist was hit with a baton, a backpack of a journalist was hit by a baton, police fired tear gas at a group of journalists wearing yellow "Press" vests, police pepper sprayed a photojournalist and police dispersed journalists swinging batons at and chasing them.
Arrests
The police arrested 32 people following the protest. Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo declared the clashes a "riot" and condemned the protesters' behaviour. Speaking in Cantonese, Lo used the term for "disturbance", but a police spokesman later clarified he meant "riot".[ Chief Executive Carrie Lam backed Lo, saying the protesters' "dangerous and life-threatening acts" had devolved into a "blatant, organised riot".] Lo later backed down from the riot characterisation, saying that of all protesters, only five of them rioted. He added that "most of the other people who joined the public event were peaceful protesters. They did not need to worry that they committed rioting crimes." However, the five people who were arrested for rioting were all released without charge on 24 October.
Hospital arrests
At least four protesters were arrested at hospitals while receiving treatment following clashes earlier that day. The police chief admitted that officers had accessed medical records, raising concerns over confidentiality of patient information. On 17 June, Legislative Councillor for the Medical constituency Pierre Chan
Pierre Chan (born 18 August 1976) is a Hong Kong medical doctor and politician. Chan was elected in the 2016 Hong Kong Legislative Council election through the Medical functional constituency.
Early life
Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1976.
...
presented a partial list that disclosed the information of 76 patients who had been treated in the emergency ward of a public hospital on 12 and 13 June, along with a note that stated "for police" which was written on the top-left corner of the document. Chan said such a list could be obtained through the clinical data system in some hospitals without requiring a password and accused the Hong Kong Hospital Authority
The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Governme ...
(HKHA) for leaking patients' data to the police. The HKHA denied the accusation, stressing that it had never authorised anyone to print the patients' data for police officers.
The Hong Kong Adventist Hospital in Tsuen Wan also reportedly refused to treat an injured protester and advised the person to go to Yan Chai Hospital
Yan Chai Hospital () is a Charitable hospital has under the Kowloon West Cluster of the Hospital Authority, providing acute and extended care services to the Tsuen Wan community and its neighbouring areas. The hospital was founded by the Yan Ch ...
before reporting him to the police. The private hospital told media that its protocol prohibits it from handling cases related to "criminal activities", adding that patients involved in such cases are referred to a public hospital.
Tensions grew between the medical profession and the police force with both parties accused of verbal harassment and abuse. The police force later withdrew from posts at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Yan Chai Hospital
Yan Chai Hospital () is a Charitable hospital has under the Kowloon West Cluster of the Hospital Authority, providing acute and extended care services to the Tsuen Wan community and its neighbouring areas. The hospital was founded by the Yan Ch ...
.
Aftermath
Protests against the extradition bill continued after 12 June, as the protesters only managed to delay the second reading of the bill. In response to the alleged police brutality, protesters began asking for the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into police conduct and use of force during the protest and demanding the police to retract the "riot" characterisation. These demands later formed the foundation of the protesters' core five demands.
On 15 June, Chief Executive Carrie Lam
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ( Cheng; ; born 13 May 1957) is a retired Hong Kong politician who served as the 4th Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022. She served as Chief Secretary for Administration between 2012 and 2017 and Secr ...
announced the "suspension" of the bill but stopped short of fully withdrawing it. Responding to the 12 June incident, she supported the police, calling them "restrained" and that she agreed with the riot characterisation. Shortly afterward, a 35-year-old man named Marco Leung Ling-kit climbed to the elevated podium on the rooftop of Pacific Place. Wearing a yellow raincoat with the words "Brutal police are cold-blooded" and "Carrie Lam is killing Hong Kong", he fell to his death after a five-hour standoff. On 16 June, the Civil Human Rights Front
The Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) was an organisation that focused on the issues of Hong Kong politics and livelihood, affiliated with almost all pan-democratic camps in Hong Kong. It was founded on 13 September 2002 and disbanded on 15 Aug ...
organised a massive rally, attracting 2 million people.
The government rejected the formation of an independent inquiry and stated that the Independent Police Complaints Council
The Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) is a civilian body of the Government of Hong Kong, part of the two-tier system in which the Hong Kong Police Force investigates complaints made by the public against its members and the IPCC ...
(IPCC), an internal institution, would look into the complaints. Following the 12 June incident, the attention of the protests shifted to the confrontations between the police force and the protesters. The number of allegations of Police misconduct continued to increase in subsequent protests, as protests escalated into intense conflicts between both sides.
Robert Godden, the founder of human rights consultancy Rights Exposure, named the 12 June incident as the "first escalation of force" and that most of the subsequent protests were "a spiralling escalation" based on what had happened on 12 June. Commenting on the police's tactics, he described them as "very indiscriminate, very blunt, very unplanned, very unsophisticated".
On 15 May 2020, a 22-year-old man surnamed Sin was sentenced to four years in prison for his participation in the protest, becoming the first person to be jailed for the charge of rioting
A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people.
Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...
since the protest movement started.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hong Kong protest, 2019 06 12
2019 in Hong Kong
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests