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A: 100%.
Two thieves impersonating plainclothes police stole over $200k from a man last night during a “stop and search” just around the corner from Tuen Mun Police Station.
thestandnews.com/society/%E5%85… twitter.com/LeoAW/status/1…
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The arrestees on the ground are now being stood up and marched with their hands tied behind their backs toward a fleet of coaches that will transport them to a police station or detention centre. For about 4 hours now, all of Hennessy Road has been exclusively occupied by police.
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The group on the left was led away first. Most looked like regular shoppers in the wrong place at the wrong time, and weren’t cuffed or forced to kneel. The group on the right, all on the ground and cuffed, are still there. This crowd is mostly young and dressed in black.
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Police say they arrested over 400 people in Causeway Bay today, including around 70 here on Hennessy Road, lined up against the wall in rows awaiting processing. Few look like hardened frontliners. This rooftop is the closest media can get now to record the scene.
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Becoming a broken record here but once again: the HKPF’s own guidelines say pepper spray is only for use against “physical action [that] might cause injury to oneself or others." There can be no justification for this. Will this officer ever face discipline? Can he even be ID’d? twitter.com/studioincendo/…
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Targeting violent radicals is one way to make arrests. Another is grabbing the little girl who couldn’t run fast enough or jump over the barrier.
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The water canon vehicle is running a course through Causeway Bay, unleashing bursts of pepper spray-infused water where crowds stood (before the canon advanced) on Hennessy and Jardine. As usual, journalists and medics appear to be the only ones hit.
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Tear gas just fired on Morrison Hill Road after two Molotov cocktails were thrown in front of advancing riot police.
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Police have just rescinded permission for today’s march and ordered everyone to disperse. This is the scene in Wan Chai with many children and families. Victoria Park is still 1/3 full of people starting the march. They’re now all guilty of taking part in an “illegal assembly.”
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Tens of thousands of people are coursing through the heart of Causeway Bay. At the tail end of the march, Victoria Park is still full of protesters waiting to file out and join the march.
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The march isn’t even here yet—these are just people waiting to join the march along the route.
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At the starting line for today’s march. According to the organisers, the Civil Human Rights Front, the lawn at Victoria Park is almost completely full now, meaning we could be out of the gates earlier than the expected 1500 start.
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And right on cue, the first tear gas of 2020.
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For a while the unimog got trapped by a cling film barrier put up by protesters.
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As the last human chain of the year ends, Nathan Road is occupied by riot police and raptors in Mong Kok. With just two hours until midnight, those of you calling this the “2019 protests/unrest” are going to have to think fast.
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Turnout for the “Days and Nights” rally in Central isn’t stellar at this point—unsurprising in this weather—but this centrepiece banner chronicling the city’s six months of protest is inspiring some impressive and moving contributions from the attendeees.
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The arrestee appears to be engaging in “defensive resistance,” justifying the use of pepper spray, hard empty hand techniques and takedowns.
But internal training documents leaked to @washingtonpost list “do not strike the head, neck or back” as the 1st principle of baton use. twitter.com/danielchsuen/s…
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A trend we’ve been observing lately is that these “shopping” protests have turned violent not when protesters begin vandalising pro-governments businesses (as claimed) but when clashes are sparked by the provocative presence of so many undercover cops—which might be the point.
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According to Apple Daily and Golden live streamers, there are “over a hundred” undercover police dressed as protesters at Kowloon Bay’s Telford Plaza shopping mall right now.
That’s pushing four times the number of actual protesters in Landmark North, Sheung Shui this afternoon.
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HK Police Force Procedures Manual Article 29-02 Use of Force Continuum states (post-10/1 revisions) that pepper spray may be used only when confronted with "Defensive Resistance”—i.e. "Physical action [that] might cause injury to oneself or others."
More: washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/… twitter.com/tomgrundy/stat…
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We spent weeks translating leaked documents, scrutinising 100s of incidents of alleged police brutality, consulting experts, and offering frontline testimony for this comprehensive report.
Please read and share with anyone still wondering why HKers demand an independent inquiry. twitter.com/ShibaniMahtani…
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In Hong Kong crackdown, police repeatedly broke their own rules — and faced no consequences wapo.st/hong-kong-poli…
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Almost at the stroke of midnight, a raptor charge followed by tear gas grenades lobbed at the people assembled around a single arrested protester. It’s Christmas Day now.
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Unreal scene as riot police come in from all directions, using pepper spray to disperse people on TST’s iconic Avenue of Stars. A marine police launch bobs in the blackened water of Victoria Harbour while the Central skyline glitters in the distance.
What had this city become?
Managing Editor @cnmediaproject 中國傳媒研究計劃主編