[Graphic video] A man was hit with a drain cover by a masked assailant as he was clearing a roadblock in Mong Kok during the early hours of Sunday.
Protesters blocked roads in the area on Saturday night after gathering outside Prince Edward MTR station to mark three months since baton-wielding police stormed the station’s platforms and trains, making arrests and leaving several injured.
According to footage recorded by Mad Dog Daily, the 53-year-old man was clearing a roadblock at the junction of Nathan Road and Mong Kok Road at around 1am. Onlookers shouted at him, but he did not respond.
The man clearing the barricades took out his phone to film a masked man who approached him whilst yelling. The man then attacked the victim with a drain cover.
Bloodied, the victim fell down and was treated by a volunteer first-aider. The victim tried to find his phone but he was shouted at again, before being persuaded to leave.
He was taken to the Kwong Wah Hospital for treatment and was discharged on Sunday.
The police said in a Facebook post that the victim’s phone was stolen. After a preliminary investigation, the case was classified as assault and theft and would be handled by the Narcotics Bureau. No arrests have been made.
The police said the force attached great importance to the case and seriously condemned “the violent act of the rioter.”
“The police reiterate that we absolutely do not tolerate anyone who uses violence to achieve any goals. We are determined to enforce the law to restore social order, and seek responsibility over all law-breaking acts,” the post said.
Police Commissioner Chris Tang also said during a radio programme on Sunday that the man could have been killed by the attack.
Large-scale protests have been ongoing since June. Initially against a now-withdrawn extradition law, the protests have morphed into wider demands for democracy and accountability for police behaviour.
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