Police pepper-spray ‘Airport Uncle’, icon of Hong Kong protest
United States
A candidate in Hong Kong’s elections who rose to prominence for his peaceful defence of protesters was pepper-sprayed at pointblank range before being arrested in the latest violent crackdown by police in the city.
Police attacked the silverhaired Richard Chan, 48, at close range, grabbing and turning him around as he tried to retreat, only to unleash pepper spray directly into his eyes, before tackling him to the ground to make the arrest.
Chan, a first-time candidate running in district council elections later this month, went viral after standing his ground between police and activists during mass airport protests in August, which shut down one of the world’s busiest transport hubs. The incident earned him the nickname of ‘‘Airport Uncle’’.
Pictures of the rough treatment of Chan are likely to further feed growing hatred for police who have been accused of disproportionate brutality.
Two other candidates were also arrested in the latest round of protests yesterday, which came after protest leader Joshua Wong was banned from standing at the upcoming elections.
Dozens of candidates running for district council seats and hundreds of protesters gathered yesterday afternoon at Victoria Park, testing a loophole they said allowed for large-scale election meetings to be held in public.
But riot police surrounding the park declared the gathering unlawful, warning they wouldn’t hesitate to make arrests and deploy tear gas at the crowd of political hopefuls and their supporters, waving campaign banners.
‘‘This is the final chance for us to change Communist China’s control in Hong Kong,’’ Dennis Cheung, 30, one of the more than 1,000 candidates standing for 450 open council seats, said. Cheung, who works in advertising, is also a first-time candidate who vowed to help arrested protesters and educate residents about their rights if elected.
‘‘Police are making unreasonable arrests of youngsters,’’ said Martin Ng, 65, a retiree. ‘‘I have full confidence Hong Kong people won’t tolerate this kind of brutality and suppression.’’
Protesters were galvanised this weekend after prominent activist Joshua Wong became the city’s only candidate to be barred from running for a district council seat.
– Telegraph Group