Hong Kong Cops Violently Arrest Girl, 12

Relatives say she was out buying school supplies
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 7, 2020 6:59 PM CDT

A 12-year-old girl whose family says she was out buying school supplies was among almost 300 people arrested on Sunday as Hong Kongers protested the postponement of local elections. Video of the girl's violent arrest in the Mong Kong district has gone viral, though police insist they used "minimum force," the BBC reports. The video shows the girl trying to run away as police round up a group of people. A riot police officer tackles her to the ground, where others help hold her down. The girl's mother told local media that she plans to file a formal complaint, the Guardian reports. She said the girl, who was treated for minor injuries had been out buying art supplies with her 20-year-old brother. Police issued both siblings with fines for breaking a law banning gatherings of more than two people.

"The streets were cut off by police cordons so we had to double back to meet our family ... but the police suddenly ran towards us," the girl told local media. "I was scared. They told us to stand still, but I panicked so I ran." Police said they had been trying to intercept protesters in the area, and they "subdued" the girl after she "ran away in a suspicious manner." Police said 289 arrests, mostly for unlawful assembly, were made as people protested on what would have been the date of elections for the territory's legislation, the AP reports. Chief Executive Carrie Lam recently delayed elections for a year, blaming a surge in coronavirus cases. Critics accused her delaying the vote to prevent opposition lawmakers from gaining seats after the introduction of Beijing's draconian Hong Kong security law, (More Hong Kong stories.)

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