Government officials reportedly attempted to confiscate promotional banners featuring yellow umbrellas—a symbol of last year’s pro-democracy Occupy protests—from the station of a pro-democracy District Council candidate on Friday evening.
Sally Tang Mei-ching, a League of Social Democrats (LSD) candidate running for Shek Kip Mei’s Ha Pak Tin constituency, was confronted by officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and Lands Department at around 6:00pm. The officers told Tang that she did not get permission from the Lands Department for the street station.
Tang said that the officers threatened to arrest her and her volunteers for “obstructing government administration”.
LSD District Council candidates Raphael Wong Ho-ming and Dickson Chau Ka-faat then came to the station to help her.
The LSD candidates said they suspected that the officers had received a complaint from incumbent District Councillor Yan Kai-wing of the pro-Beijing BPA Party, Tang’s opponent in the constituency.
The FEHD and Lands Department officers then called the police for assistance.
Sally Tang said in a statement that the officers back off eventually at around 7:00pm.
Update 1:20pm October 24: Sally Tang said in a statement that the officers back off eventually at around 7:00pm on Friday.
