Hundreds marched spontaneously in Central on Friday afternoon after a Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) student claimed she was sexually assaulted by an officer at a police station.
The protesters gathered at Chater Garden in Central at 12:30pm. Police officers appeared and raised a yellow flag warning that protesters were in breach of the law and may be prosecuted. But they took no action and protesters marched along Des Voeux Road Central.
It came after CUHK student Sonia Ng on Thursday publicly accused the police of sexual assault when she was arrested and detained at Kwai Chung Police Station. On Friday morning, Ng said on Commercial Radio that a male officer hit her breast, and two female officers watched her while she was in the toilet.
Many of the protesters in Central were masked, although – under the anti-mask law recently enacted by the government – protesters may face a year in jail if convicted.
“Five demands not one less,” they chanted. “Hong Kong people, resist! Disband the Hong Kong police force!”
A female protester said it was her second time to join a flash mob march in Central, because her workplace was nearby.
“There have been so many negative forces, we need a way to express our feelings,” she told Apple Daily. “We felt very bad [for Sonia Ng] the whole morning. We want to do whatever we can in support.”
Protesters marched with a large banner that read “Hong Kong police intentionally murder people,” referring to unverified rumours that protesters died following police detention.
They marched west, turned into Queen Victoria Street, and changed direction to walk east on Connaught Road Central back towards Chater Garden, ending the march. Demonstrators redirected traffic as they marched.
On Friday, Sonia Ng also said that she received harassing phone calls from mainland Chinese numbers after she spoke on Thursday.
The Complaints Against Police Office, an internal police department, has launched an investigation into Ng’s accusation. The office said it has not yet been able to reach her.
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