#OpinionArticle
A View from a journalist - Police Brutality on Press
(10 May) At the early stage of the anti extradition law amendment bill (anti-ELAB) movement in Hong Kong, journalists faced different degrees of abused by the HK police. It started with “f*ck the press mother” to “don’t shoot the press” and even the former Police Commissioner Stephen Lo said “we treated the press very politely”. I interviewed an experienced journalist regarding freedom of press in Hong Kong. He made quite an impressive comment that “actually we (journalists) should not become the focus of the news.”
I rarely said anything about the journalists in the past because we could not compare to what the protesters had personally sacrificed and the high price they paid. Therefore, I do not need to specifically put a crown on my head by attracting praises. It is better to lay low and it is sufficient enough for me to take more photographs.
Despite the police frequently yell “get back to the pedestrians pavement”, prohibit journalists to film beyond the seal off lines, push the journalists with their shields and batons in hostile manners and threaten us with pepper spray, I just treat these as part of the chaos. Even though I am discontented about their poor attitudes, I always think that we are just doing our jobs. However, I felt that media was the target of police operations at Mongkok last night.
Even in yesterday afternoon, I already learnt from my peers that media could become the major police operation targets. I personally heard police talked among themselves that ‘we filmed and photographed the journalists today.” At the end, there were quite a bit of news relating to the journalists came out yesterday:
Full translation
https://telegra.ph/A-View-from-a-journalist---Police-Brutality-on-Press-05-17
Source: Iyho819 Instagram
#PoliceState #MongkokNight #PolyUSiege #FreedomofPress #PoliceBrutality
A View from a journalist - Police Brutality on Press
(10 May) At the early stage of the anti extradition law amendment bill (anti-ELAB) movement in Hong Kong, journalists faced different degrees of abused by the HK police. It started with “f*ck the press mother” to “don’t shoot the press” and even the former Police Commissioner Stephen Lo said “we treated the press very politely”. I interviewed an experienced journalist regarding freedom of press in Hong Kong. He made quite an impressive comment that “actually we (journalists) should not become the focus of the news.”
I rarely said anything about the journalists in the past because we could not compare to what the protesters had personally sacrificed and the high price they paid. Therefore, I do not need to specifically put a crown on my head by attracting praises. It is better to lay low and it is sufficient enough for me to take more photographs.
Despite the police frequently yell “get back to the pedestrians pavement”, prohibit journalists to film beyond the seal off lines, push the journalists with their shields and batons in hostile manners and threaten us with pepper spray, I just treat these as part of the chaos. Even though I am discontented about their poor attitudes, I always think that we are just doing our jobs. However, I felt that media was the target of police operations at Mongkok last night.
Even in yesterday afternoon, I already learnt from my peers that media could become the major police operation targets. I personally heard police talked among themselves that ‘we filmed and photographed the journalists today.” At the end, there were quite a bit of news relating to the journalists came out yesterday:
Full translation
https://telegra.ph/A-View-from-a-journalist---Police-Brutality-on-Press-05-17
Source: Iyho819 Instagram
#PoliceState #MongkokNight #PolyUSiege #FreedomofPress #PoliceBrutality
Telegraph
A View from a journalist - Police Brutality on Press
(10 May) At the early stage of the anti extradition law amendment bill (anti-ELAB) movement in Hong Kong, journalists faced different degrees of abused by the HK police. It started with “f*ck the press mother” to “don’t shoot the press” and even the former…
#Analysis #LesterShum
Lester Shum: A possible black hole for live streaming and documenting in Mong Kok – a repeat of 831.
(10 May) The Hong Kong police were already very familiar with Mong Kok’s ‘sachet bag strategy’(a strategy which allows them to make mass arrests), and it seemed like they stepped up their game tonight.
It seems that the police are targeting journalists more strategically so no one would be able to film what happened.
The reason why the 831 Prince Edward Station incident happened is because the the police kicked all journalists off the platform, which is not a difficult thing to do with their resources if they have the intention to do it. But like tonight, clearing out hundreds of journalists in several streets, I don’t believe that there was no premeditation or deployment.
Journalists being targeted and brutalised by police is nothing new. But what happened tonight appears to be a premeditated and deployed effort by the police to create a black hole for reporting and documenting, like in the 831 incident.
Source: The Stand News
Further reading:
A View from a journalist - Police Brutality on Press
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/20925
#MongkokNight #FreedomOfPress #sachetbagstrategy #PoliceBrutality #PoliceState #LiveStreaming #831incident
Lester Shum: A possible black hole for live streaming and documenting in Mong Kok – a repeat of 831.
(10 May) The Hong Kong police were already very familiar with Mong Kok’s ‘sachet bag strategy’(a strategy which allows them to make mass arrests), and it seemed like they stepped up their game tonight.
It seems that the police are targeting journalists more strategically so no one would be able to film what happened.
• Within 10 - 15 minutes, the area around Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Shan Tung Street, Tung Choi Street and Fa Yuen Street were completely cordoned off by police and all those present were arrested, while a large number of journalists were stopped and "targeted". • After the police started their operation, apart from those who targeted citizens, it seems like there was also a group of police who purposefully “subdued” and “dispersed” the journalists: those who could be kicked away, pushed away and sprayed away were dispersed, and those who couldn’t be dispersed due to the large number of journalists were demanded to sit down and turn their live streaming off. • After being surrounded by the police, a number of journalists were demanded to retreat so far back that they couldn’t film the police’s actions at all. • Given the large number of police on the scene and the strategic targeting of journalists, there was a part of Mong Kok where no one knew what happened, and how arrestees were treated. The reason why the 831 Prince Edward Station incident happened is because the the police kicked all journalists off the platform, which is not a difficult thing to do with their resources if they have the intention to do it. But like tonight, clearing out hundreds of journalists in several streets, I don’t believe that there was no premeditation or deployment.
Journalists being targeted and brutalised by police is nothing new. But what happened tonight appears to be a premeditated and deployed effort by the police to create a black hole for reporting and documenting, like in the 831 incident.
Source: The Stand News
Further reading:
A View from a journalist - Police Brutality on Press
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/20925
#MongkokNight #FreedomOfPress #sachetbagstrategy #PoliceBrutality #PoliceState #LiveStreaming #831incident
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