In Hong Kong, Young Protester Shot By Police Becomes New Call for Protests

Protesters hold up hands to signify their five demands during a flash mob gathering at Chater Garden in Hong Kong on Oct. 2, 2019. Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images

In Hong Kong, the injury of an 18-year-old student, who was shot by a police officer during protests on Oct. 1, has become another reason for Hongkongers to continue their mass demonstrations, now in their 17th consecutive week.

The student, Tsang Chi-kin, attended Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College. He was critically wounded after he was shot in the chest during a scuffle with police in the Tsuen Wan neighborhood. Tsang was shot in his left lung, three centimeters from his heart, according to local media.

It was the first time a police officer opened fire at a protester in months of demonstrations that began in opposition to a controversial extradition bill.

He was first sent to Princess Margaret Hospital, then transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for an operation.

That day, there were organized protests in six areas of Hong Kong, including Tsuen Wan, Wong Tai Sin, and Sha Tin, in addition to a peaceful march from Causeway Bay to Central that was attended by more than 100,000 people.

Tsang is now in stable condition, according to Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority. Aside from Tsang, four other protesters were injured and in serious condition, among a total of 123 people who were sent to the hospital from protests on Oct. 1.

A day after Tsang was wounded, Hongkongers held public protests to voice support for Tsang and criticism against the police’s actions.

Outside Tsang’s school, hundreds of students and alumni held a sit-in to voice support for their schoolmate.

At Central district, hundreds of people, including many office workers, took part in a lunch-hour march, calling for the city government to answer protesters’ demands and to disband the police force, according to local media RTHK. Since June, protesters have demanded an independent inquiry into police use of force and universal suffrage to elect the city’s officials.

Also at lunchtime, dozens held a flash-mob protest at the Festival Walk shopping mall in Kowloon, according to RTHK.

Nearly 400 students from six schools, including PLK Vicwood KT Chong Sixth Form College and CCC Ming Kei College, boycotted their classes, according to Hong Kong media Stand News.

Lawmakers from the Hong Kong pro-democracy camp also held a press conference to condemn the police.

Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting questioned why police did not take action to provide aid to Tsang, until three minutes after he was initially shot. He said the delay was unacceptable.

Another Democratic Party lawmaker Hui Chi-fung, said he would write to Hong Kong’s Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo, demanding to know the name of the officer who shot Tsang and his police ID number. Hui added that he would press charges against the officer, including attempted murder.

Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan expressed concern that police would resort to even more heavy tactics against protesters in the future, and was also worried about the Hong Kong government’s enacting the emergency ordinance law to quell future protests.

The Emergency Regulations Ordinance grants sweeping power to the city’s top official, the chief executive, to make arrests, stop communications, and issue punishment during “occasions of emergency or public danger.”

Protester spokespeople held their own press conference, lambasting the police officer for having the intention to kill, given that the gunshot landed so close to Tsang’s heart.

They declared that October 1 would forever be remembered as a day of national mourning for Hong Kong, and not a day of celebration. Oct. 1 is the anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s takeover of China, and is a major holiday. Since Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, the date is also observed as a holiday in the territory.

Civil Human Rights Front, the main organizer behind recent mass protests, issued a statement on its website on Oct. 2, saying that “the police’s bullet not only struck Tsang, but also struck the hearts of all Hongkongers.”

It added that it would organize another large-scale protest, to respond to the police’s escalated violent acts, and to show solidarity with Tsang.