© Joshua Kwan/United Social Press
The Hong Kong Police Force has defended tackling a 12-year-old girl during a pro-democracy demonstration after a clip went viral of the incident. Police on Facebook said that the girl was attempting to flee during a stop-and-search action on Sunday in Mong Kok and they had used the "minimum necessary force" in subduing her.
The girl - who gave her first name as Pamela -
told i-Cable that she and her elder brother lived on Waterloo Road in the area.
They visited Yau Ma Tei to buy art supplies for class but could not pass through due to a police cordon, she said.
In a HKUST Radio News Reporting Team clip, she was seen running away from police on Sai Yeung Choi Street South. However, a riot police officer knocked her to the ground as other officers shouted: "Stand still." Three officers then restrained the girl.
The force later wrote on Facebook that
they were concerned about youngsters participating in prohibited group gatherings and that the officer used the "minimum necessary force" to subdue her: "During the interaction,
she suddenly ran away in a suspicious manner. Officers therefore chased and subdued her with [the] use of minimum necessary force," the
post on Sunday read. "Police were concerned about youngsters participating in prohibited group gathering. Their presence at the chaotic protest scenes also endangers their own personal safety."
The police issued penalty ticket to Pamela, her elder brother and a passer-by, accusing them of
violating the Covid-19 ban on group gatherings of more than two people.
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