Democracy Group ‘Shocked’ That Hong Kong Cops Were Granted Visas to Attend Police Games in Winnipeg

HK community groups raise concerns over participation of Hong Kong Police Force at World Police and Fire Games

Police set up barricades to stop protesters from escaping from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the Hung Hom district of Hong Kong on Nov. 18, 2019.Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

A human rights group is calling on the Canadian government to investigate why Hong Kong police were granted visas to attend a sports event in Winnipeg weeks after the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) ramped up suppression of pro-democracy activists.

More than 300 Hong Kong police are attending the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) scheduled to run from July 28 to Aug. 6 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Some from the local Hong Kong communities came out to protest the HKPF’s attendance at the games on July 29, but met further threats from the Hong Kong police representatives, said UK-based NGO Hong Kong Watch.

“Today, Hong Kong Watch Canada, has formally called for the Canadian Government to investigate the decision to issue visas for over 300 Hong Kong police officers to attend the World Police and Fire Games hosted in Winnipeg," Sam Goodman, director of policy for Hong Kong Watch, said in a statement issued on July 30.

“It is shocking that the Canadian Government would issue visas to police officers who have spent the last three years dismantling Hong Kong’s freedoms, jailing activists, lawmakers, and journalists, closing the office of independent media outlets like Apple Daily, and now targeting activists overseas and their families.”

Foreign nationals wishing to enter Canada must apply for a temporary resident visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) and must meet all eligibility and admissibility requirements. An individual may be deemed inadmissible for various reasons, including security, criminal, or medical concerns.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said it evaluates visa applications on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the specific information provided by the applicant. A visa is only issued when the visa officer is “fully satisfied that the applicant poses no threat to the health, safety or security of Canada,” the IRCC said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times.

“If a person is found to be inadmissible, their application for a temporary resident visa or eTA, will be refused. At a port of entry, an individual who is found inadmissible will be refused entry by a Canada Border Services Agency officer,” IRCC spokesperson Matthew Krupovich said.

Mr. Krupovich reiterated that “Canada continues to stand by Hong Kong residents, and supports their freedom and democracy,” noting that special immigration pathways have been opened to Hongkongers since 2021.

The WPFG organizers didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment from The Epoch Times.

An anti-police resident is detained by riot police during a rally in Hong Kong, China, on Nov. 3, 2019. Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

Six other Hong Kong democracy advocacy groups, namely Winnipeg Hong Kong Concern, Canada-Hong Kong Link, Halifax-Hong Kong Link, Saskatchewan Stands with Hong Kong, Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement, and Vancouver Hong Kong Forum Society, also issued a joint statement opposing the HKPF’s attendance at the WPFG.

“We voice our strong opposition to the invitation for the HKPF to Canada to attend the Games. The HKPF has a clear record of inhumane treatment of Hong Kong dissenters,” the groups said, adding that the presence of Hong Kong police will trigger the painful memories of the many Hongkongers who fell victim to police brutality.

“Allowing the HKPF to appear in Canada will again remind Hongkonger-Canadians, many of whom continue to suffer from PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder], of the barbarian acts of violence during the 2019 protests. We deeply regret that no actions were taken on the part of the Federal Government to stop this from happening.”

Targeting Activists

The Hong Kong police force was widely criticized for their brutal handling of the city’s pro-democracy movements in 2019. Incidents of alleged violence include excessive use of tear gas and rubber bullets and accusations of the raping of a female protester in detention, drawing international attention and condemnation.

To curb the pro-democracy movement, Beijing’s rubber-stamp legislature in Hong Kong passed the national security law in June 2020, curbing free speech. As Mr. Goodman mentioned, several independent media outlets have been shut down, with journalists and editors being arrested and charged.

Further, on July 3, Hong Kong’s National Security Department (NSD) issued arrest warrants for eight pro-democracy activists in exile, including Canadian-born lawyer Dennis Kwok, who is a former politician in Hong Kong.

Photos of eight activists for whom Hong Kong police have issued arrest warrants over national security are displayed during a press conference in Hong Kong on July 3, 2023. Joyce Zhou/Reuters

“We urge the Government to investigate this matter and explain why a mere two weeks after prominent pro-democracy activists living overseas were targeted with warrants and bounties, these police officers were allowed to attend the games here in Canada,” Mr. Goodman said in the Hong Kong Watch statement.

Highlighting the threatening behaviour of some of the Hong Kong police officers against local protesters during the Winnipeg sports event, he said it serves as “further evidence” that the government “should never have issued visas for police officers culpable for the human rights crackdown in Hong Kong.”

Along with the arrest warrants, Hong Kong’s NSD also announced an HK$1 million bounty (C$170,000) for information on the whereabouts of those activists in the countries where they are seeking refuge, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.

Those countries’ governments have condemned the Hong Kong authorities for this move. The U.S. State Department said in a July 3 statement that imposing extraterritorial application to the national security law sets a “dangerous precedent that threatens the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people all over the world.”

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UK “will not tolerate” the Chinese regime’s attempts to silence overseas dissidents. And Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the regime’s targeting of the eight activists is “unacceptable.”

Concerns From Opposition

In response to the Hong Kong police’s attendance in the WPFG, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) reiterated its call on both the Hong Kong and Chinese central authorities to “respect and uphold rights and freedoms” that was promised to the former British colony. GAC previously said Canada was “gravely concerned” by the arrest warrants issued for the eight pro-democracy activists.

“We reiterate that the Hong Kong authorities have no jurisdiction in applying the law within our borders. Canada strongly opposes any attempt to intimidate or silence anyone residing in Canada,” GAC spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement issued on July 28.

Despite GAC’s statement, various rights groups, experts, and politicians criticized the Canadian government’s decision to allow Hong Kong police at the Winnipeg event, considering their role in suppressing democracy at home and overseas.

“Don’t worry! The Trudeau Government says the 300 police officers from Hong Kong, recently tasked with placing bounties on the heads of pro-democracy activists, aren’t allowed to act as police while they’re in Canada,” Conservative MP Michael Barrett said in a July 28 Twitter post. “It’s unacceptable the government is so uninterested in protecting people in Canada from the thug regime in Beijing.”

Protesters react as police fire tear gas while they attempt to march toward Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the Hung Hom district of Hong Kong on Nov. 18, 2019. Dale de la Rey/AFP via Getty Images

Hong Kong Watch cited comments from its Canadian patrons, including Conservative MP James Bezan, who said the Hong Kong police officers’ attendance at the games was “unacceptable” due to their active targeting of activists.

Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman shared similar concerns, describing the approval of visas for Hong Kong police to participate in WPFG as “extremely concerning.” She said that no authoritarian police services have a place in Canada, and IRCC should not have approved these visas.

Raquel Dancho, Conservative MP and public safety critic, described the Hong Kong police’s attendance at WPFG as “deeply disappointing.”

“At the behest of [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of Beijing, the Hong Kong Police Force has cracked down on pro-democracy protestors and repeatedly violated their human and civil rights,” she wrote on Twitter. “Their participation in this years’ competition will distract from the achievements of service members from Canada and our democratic allies.”