2019 Prince Edward station attack

The 31 August Prince Edward station incident (Chinese: 831太子站事件),[2][3][4][5] or 31 August MTR station incident,[6] refers to an incident in which Hong Kong police allegedly indiscriminately[7][8][9] attacked passengers while arresting alleged protesters who were returning home via Prince Edward station, on the night of 31 August 2019, after a protest was held that same day. The event was described as the police version of the 2019 Yuen Long attack, and the police have been criticised as acting like terrorists.[10][11] Rumours have been circulated that several protesters were beaten to death at the station, but the police have rejected allegations.[12] However, a mourning vigil was set up by a group of residents outside one exit of the station.[13]

2019 Prince Edward station attack
Part of 2019–20 Hong Kong protests
Hong Kong police storm Prince Edward station and attack civilians on 31 August 2019.
Date	31 August 2019 (Hong Kong Time UTC+8)
Location	Prince Edward station, Mong Kok, Kowloon
Resulted in	(See Aftermath section)
Parties to the civil conflict
HK anti-bill demonstrators and passengers Hong Kong Police Force Anti-demonstrators
Number
Weapon: Umbrellas, Cymbals, Fire extinguishers Weapon: Batons, Pepper spray Weapon: Hammer Box cutter
Casualties
Injuries	At least 10 (people sent to hospital)
Arrested	65 (as of 1 November, all protestors or passengers)[1]
Charged	2 (as of 1 November)
Location within Hong Kong

Timeline

Citizens cried after being attacked by the police.

Passengers appear scared as police enter the train.

Train interior after the police attack

Riot police force the passenger and first aid surrender

According to several news reports, some of the protesters conducted flash mobbing by using the MTR lines. They are accused of damaging MTR properties in Mong Kok MTR station, a station on the Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan lines.[14] They clashed with anti-demonstrators in one of the cabin of the Kwun Tong line (towards Tiu Keng Leng direction) passenger car as well as on the platform of Prince Edward station, where the passenger car was stationed.[14][15] The anti-demonstrators were armed, with weapons including hammers[14][16] and box cutters.[14]

The police later arrived at Prince Edward station and conducted arrests in the platform and on stationed Kwun Tong line (towards Tiu Keng Leng direction) and Tsuen Wan line (towards Central direction) passenger cars.[17]

A witness who was a passenger of the train on the Tsuen Wan line claimed that not all of the passengers in his cabin were protesters.[14] Other witnesses also accused the police were attacking those passengers without a reasonable cause.[14]

The train was then steered to Yau Ma Tei station, before the injured passengers were removed from the carriage by medics, and bloodied bandages, tissue and umbrellas could be found on the scene. The station was soon closed afterwards by the police. Journalists and paramedics were not allowed to get into the station. A notable paramedic showed a banner writing "Hindering aid operations is violating International humanitarian law", gaining some media coverage.[18]

After the raid, seven people were sent to the hospital by transporting them to Lai Chi Kok station via Tsuen Wan line, and then via ambulances. An additional three people from the initial Kwun Tong line conflict had been sent to the hospital via Yau Ma Tei station, before the arrival of the officers of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department. The department also admitted that the police who arrived before them had temporarily blocked the access of the platforms, and the delay of the rescue is not optimal.[19] It was reported that it took the injured over 2.5 hours before reaching to the hospital.[20]

A total of 65 people were arrested as of 1 November for involvement in the incident.[1] The police accused the suspects had committed "unauthorized assembly," "criminal damage," and "obstruction of a police officer in the execution of his duty".[21] However, it was reported that the anti-demonstrator who was armed with a hammer was not among those arrested, despite witness' claims that the anti-demonstrator had injured several people.[14]

According to the police, two arrested suspects, aged 33 and 13, were formally charged for "possession of offensive or lethal weapons".[1] Their cases were mentioned in the court for the first time on 2 September.[1] The second mention of their cases were queued in November.[22][23] 62 people were under bail as of 1 November.[1] Another teen, aged 15, was released in October without charges. The court had refused the application of his protective order by the police.[24]

Aftermath

The Hong Kong Fire Services Department's preliminary initial records had changed from 10 to 7 injured.[19]

On 6 September 2019, several sit-in protests were reported in September wherein protesters demanded MTR to release the footage of the closed-circuit television[25] and were "calling on police to apologise for excessive violence".[26] One of the exits of the MTR station became an unofficial memorial wall with flowers and messages. Despite attempts to destroy the memorial by other residents,[27] flowers and messages were re-built by the protesters.[13]

On 31 October, another protest was held near the station to mark the two month commemoration of the incident.[28] However, the protest, which did not have a permit from the police, resulted in a clash between protesters and the police, with at least three people injured and least one protester arrested.[29] It was also reported that the protesters had vandalised traffic lights and the exits of Mong Kok MTR station, as well as starting a fire on nearby Nathan Road.[28]

One of the teens who was injured by the police filed a civil lawsuit against the Hong Kong Police Force, alleging that the attacks against him constituted assault and he was therefore entitled to damages.[30]

Reactions

Critics also made sarcastic comments about the police, claiming they were blatantly lying.[31] During the press meeting, the police claimed they were able to distinguish innocent citizens from their arrest targets. They claimed there were "undercover violent protesters" that had changed clothes to blend in, and denied attacking people indiscriminately.[21]

Amnesty International Hong Kong called for an investigation into the police conduct after the Special Tactical Squad stormed Prince Edward station and beat and pepper-sprayed the commuters inside.[32]

The Hong Kong Bar Association accused the police of abusing its power, claiming "Video footage from the Prince Edward MTR station last Saturday night show riot police launching indiscriminate attacks, without any apparent lawful excuse, and using pepper spray on passengers inside a train compartment or hitting them with batons, especially since the officers in question left the train carriage afterwards without making any arrests".[33]

Both the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI; a successor of HKU Public Opinion Programme) and CUHK Centre for Communication and Public Opinion Survey made opinion polls for the protest and incidents. In the CUHK's fifth survey for the whole protest, 52% of interviewees believe the rumour that the police had killed citizens during the 31 August raid in the MTR station.[34] In PORI's survey, conducted in October, 48% of interviewees believe the rumour.[34][35] Critics urged the government to establish an Independent Commission of Inquiry, by invoking the Commissions of Inquiry Ordinance, to respond to the situation.[34]

See also

• Controversies of the Hong Kong Police Force
• 2019 Yuen Long attack
• 2019 November Shooting Incident in Sai Wai Ho

References

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