Hong Kong Police Shoot Teenager: City in Chaos
People hold signs reading “Don’t shoot our kids” as they gather on October 2, 2019 to support the 18-year-old student who was shot in the chest by a policeman the day before during clashes between protesters and police in the Tsuen Wan area of Hong Kong. – Flash-mob rallies broke out in Hong Kong on October 2 as anger mounted over police shooting a teenage protester who attacked officers in a dramatic escalation of the violent unrest that has engulfed the territory for months.
October 16, 2019
October 1st marked the 70th anniversary of Communist rule in China. During the China-mandated military parade, Hongkongers came out in droves to protest the festivities. Violence came from both sides, with police responding to the protestors’ homemade weapons of slings, rocks, and liquids, with rubber bullets, water cannons, and tear gas. However, the police were unable to contain the violence and eventually resorted to using real bullets. 18-year-old student Tony Tsang Chi-kin is the first protestor to be shot with a real bullet since the protests began in March.
“The young and the impressionable are the ones we as a society are supposed to protect and encourage,” says Sonia Reyes, a Junior here at Wayne Hills, “Obviously, we’ve failed. We now live in a world where standing up for what you believe in results in you being shot, and it’s sad that it has to be that way.”
Despite claims of police brutality from protestors, the Deputy Commissioner of Police asserts that shooting Tony Tsang Chi-kin was a reasonable use of force because officers were being chased by many rioters. To many Hongkongers, this recent shooting reaffirmed that increasing police violence poses a threat to both their safety and their democracy. Chi-kin is currently in the hospital in a stable condition.
The new slogan of their protests bear him in mind, saying “Don’t shoot our kids.” Protestors rallied together to condemn police brutality and believe officers should be held accountable. Deputy Commissioner of Police disagrees, defending the police by claiming it was protestors that provoked the attack in the first place.
In an attempt to conceal their identities, many of these protestors wear masks. Recently, the government proposed a ban on these masks. An official decision will be legislated on/after October 16. Still, protestors continue to wear them, ignoring the possible jail sentence or fine. Citizens fear that this is only the first step in a process that will lead towards an authoritarian state.
This shooting and mask ban may provide the protestors with enough sway to fulfill one of their demands: the independent investigation of police actions during this time.
