Student-rioters in HK increasing – police
Credit to Author: ASSOCIATED PRESS| Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2019 18:33:19 +0000
HONG KONG: Police said students accounted for 29 percent of nearly 1,600 people detained in pro-democracy protests since June and urged young people to take the “straight and narrow path” as more major rallies are planned this weekend.
Police public relations chief Tse Chun-chung said Friday 207 high school and university students were detained this month alone despite the resumption of classes after the summer holiday, compared to 257 over the June-August period.
He said there was a rise in teenagers participating in violent crimes, with some already charged in court.
This included a 16-year-old charged with arson, which carries possible life imprisonment, a 13-year-old girl charged with desecrating Chinese flags and others with attacking police officers and carrying dangerous weapons.
“It is an alarming trend to us,” he said at a news conference. “It is worrying to see these youths breaking the law and possibly having criminal records at such a young and tender age.
“We appeal to all youngsters to rethink their actions and hope the education sector and parents will help our young people to walk the straight and narrow path.”
Young people have largely led the protests that started in June over a China extradition bill that the government has since agreed to withdraw.
But the movement has since drawn wider participation as it snowballed into a wider anti-China campaign against what protesters say is Beijing’s creeping intrusion into Hong Kong’s autonomy promised when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Thousands of people staged a peaceful protest at a downtown square Friday night against alleged abuse of power by police, waving anti-police banners and chanting pro-democracy slogans.
The government has said complaints against police will be examined by a police watchdog agency that critics say is toothless and has no real investigative powers.