Chinese state media praise Hong Kong policeman who pointed a gun at protesters

Chinese state media have called a Hong Kong policeman a hero after footage and images of him pointing a gun at protesters caused controversy.

The clash took place on July 30 outside Kwai Chung police station when protesters gathered to show support for dozens of activists who had been arrested and charged with rioting.

Beijing’s state broadcaster CCTV said it supported the officer’s decision to raise the weapon when he was faced with ‘rioters’. The station lauded the policeman’s dedication and professionalism in dealing with the chaos.

The policeman, nicknamed ‘bald Lau Sir’ points a gun towards anti-extradition bill protesters who surrounded a police station where detained protesters were being held on July 30

Chinese state media have praised the police officer for safeguarding Hong Kong from rioters

Chinese state media have praised the police officer for safeguarding Hong Kong from rioters

The clash took place on July 30 outside Kwai Chung police station when protesters gathered to show support for dozens of other activists who had been arrested and charged with rioting

The clash took place on July 30 outside Kwai Chung police station when protesters gathered to show support for dozens of other activists who had been arrested and charged with rioting

An anchor from China's state broadcaster CCTV lauded the policeman's dedication and professionalism

She gives a thumbs-up while saying 'Lau Sir, we support you!'

An anchor from China’s state broadcaster CCTV said ‘Lau Sir, we support you!’ in a talk show yesterday. The presenter said the 1.4 billion Chinese people are backing Hong Kong police

In a talk show yesterday, a female CCTV anchor praised the Hong Kong police officer for fending off ‘rioters’ at the front line. She said the Hong Kong police team safeguarded social order as well as the people they loved.

She also quoted the policeman in question, nicknamed ‘bald Lau Sir’. She said the officer claimed that Hong Kong police were capable of dealing with these rioters, but they were stuck between the choices of beating them or not beating them because the rioters were also Chinese.

The anchor concluded: ‘We 1.4 billion Chinese people are standing right behind you to safeguard you.

‘Lau Sir, we support you!’

While state newspaper Global Times said the officer was forced to raise the gun in an act of self-defence after he and another colleague were attacked by throngs of activists.

The newspaper said Lau Sir ‘has moved the entire country’ with the act before condemning the protesters.

A separate CCTV post released a picture which apparently showed Lau Sir sustaining an eye injury after the clash

The report said protesters had aimed laser pointers at his eyes

A separate CCTV post released a picture which apparently showed Lau Sir sustaining an eye injury after the clash. The report said protesters had aimed laser pointers at his eyes

China's state newspaper Global Times said the officer was forced to raise the gun in an act of self-defence after he and another colleague were attacked by throngs of activists

China’s state newspaper Global Times said the officer was forced to raise the gun in an act of self-defence after he and another colleague were attacked by throngs of activists

The newspaper said the officer's act 'has moved the entire country' in a commentary yesterday

The newspaper said the officer’s act ‘has moved the entire country’ in a commentary yesterday

The article said the protesters, mostly wearing black clothing, had created ‘a black terror’ by attacking police with bricks, wooden clubs and laser pointers.

A separate CCTV post on China’s Twitter-like Weibo released a picture which apparently showed Lau Sir sustaining an eye injury. The report said the officer was wounded after protesters aimed laser pointers at his eyes.

Both police and protesters have used intense beams of light against each other, turning often violent episodes into surreal scenes fit for a disco or science fiction.

Demonstrators have aimed lasers towards riot police, irritating them by flashing at their faces as well as their surveillance cameras to counter facial recognition.

Police also used the lights to befuddle and identify protesters, and have flashed strong lights at journalists who accuse them of obstructing their reporting.

Yesterday, a student was arrested for possession of an ‘offensive weapon’ after he was found carrying 10 laser pointers, sparking a late-night protest outside a police station which officers dispersed with tear gas.

Protesters have called for democratic reforms, a resignation from Lam and an investigation into alleged police brutality during the unrest which broke out in June. Pictured, protesters point laser beams at the Hong Kong Space Museum during a demonstration on August 7

Protesters have called for democratic reforms, a resignation from Lam and an investigation into alleged police brutality during the unrest which broke out in June. Pictured, protesters point laser beams at the Hong Kong Space Museum during a demonstration on August 7

Protesters use laser pointers during a rally to demonstrate against the arrests of people caught in possession of laser pointers that police classified as offensive weapons because of their ability to harm the eyes in Hong Kong on August 7

Protesters use laser pointers during a rally to demonstrate against the arrests of people caught in possession of laser pointers that police classified as offensive weapons because of their ability to harm the eyes in Hong Kong on August 7

As of yesterday, a total of 589 protesters aged between 13 and 76 had been arrested and at least 139 police officers had been injured, including two who were still being hospitalised

As of yesterday, a total of 589 protesters aged between 13 and 76 had been arrested and at least 139 police officers had been injured, including two who were still being hospitalised 

Beijing has condemned what they call violent and radical protesters who have vandalised the Chinese national anthem and national flag on the sidelines of major rallies

Beijing has condemned what they call violent and radical protesters who have vandalised the Chinese national anthem and national flag on the sidelines of major rallies

Hong Kong has faced months of sometimes violent protests that began with opposition to an extradition law and which have evolved into a direct challenge to the government of embattled leader Carrie Lam and calls for full democracy.

While the government has since suspended the bill, protesters have pressed on with broader calls for democratic reforms, a resignation from Lam and an investigation into alleged police brutality.

The city’s police have been accused of using brutality against demonstrators by firing bullet points and tear gas canisters.

The police have also been accused of colluding with suspected triad members who launched an attack on protesters and commuters at a train station on July 21. 

Hong Kong buckled under a general strike on Monday followed by the most widespread and sustained clashes so far at more than a dozen locations. Pictured, anti-extradition protesters throw bricks as others react after police fired tear gas at them during clashes in Wong Tai Shin

Hong Kong buckled under a general strike on Monday followed by the most widespread and sustained clashes so far at more than a dozen locations. Pictured, anti-extradition protesters throw bricks as others react after police fired tear gas at them during clashes in Wong Tai Shin

Police stations were a particular target during the on-going chaos, with protesters hurling stones, eggs and bottles, and using giant improvised slingshots to catapult bricks over walls. Pictured, protesters stand off against riot police at Wong Tai Sin when workers across the city staged a strike on August 5

Police stations were a particular target, with protesters hurling stones, eggs and bottles, and using giant improvised slingshots to catapult bricks over walls. Pictured, protesters stand off against riot police at Wong Tai Sin when workers across the city staged a strike on August 5

Superintendent John Tse told reporters that police fired some 800 tear gas rounds on Monday - almost as many as the 1,000 rounds they said they had fired throughout the last two months

Superintendent John Tse told reporters that police fired some 800 tear gas rounds on Monday – almost as many as the 1,000 rounds they said they had fired throughout the last two months

Hong Kong has been plunged into chaos by weeks of protests triggered by opposition to a planned law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China. Pictured, demonstrators attend a rally to support the city-wide strike and to call for democratic reforms on August 5

Hong Kong has been plunged into chaos by weeks of protests triggered by opposition to a planned law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China. Pictured, demonstrators attend a rally to support the city-wide strike and to call for democratic reforms on August 5

As of yesterday, a total of 589 protesters aged between 13 and 76 had been arrested and at least 139 police officers had been injured, including two who were still being hospitalised.

The Communist Party-led central government in Beijing has condemned what they call violent and radical protesters who have vandalised the Chinese national anthem and national flag on the sidelines of major rallies.

China has accused ‘foreign forces’, especially the United States, of inflaming the demonstrations out of a desire to contain the country’s development.

Beijing ratcheted up its rhetoric the political crisis this week.

A senior Chinese official in charge of Hong Kong affairs yesterday said that Beijing would intervene if the Hong Kong government fails to control the ongoing protests that have left the financial hub in ‘the worst crisis’ since its handover in 1997.

Zhang Xiaoming, the head of China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office, also said today that Beijing ‘has enough methods and enough strength to quickly quell any unrest’.

In a commentary yesterday, China’s state news agency Xinhua said Hong Kong activists were the ‘minions’ of their American ‘masters’. The article said certain activists ‘wagged their tails’ and ‘invited a wolf into the house’.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have preciously said that China should 'do the right thing' in dealing with protests in Hong Kong, urging all sides to avoid violence

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have preciously said that China should ‘do the right thing’ in dealing with protests in Hong Kong, urging all sides to avoid violence

In a strongly worded opinion piece in Global Times, founder of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party Martin Lee Chu-ming and media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-Ying were criticised for their roles in the city’s ongoing anti-government movement and inviting foreign interference. Above, Jimmy Lai Chee-Ying meets with US Vice-President Mike Pence in the White House on July 8 this year

Martin Lee Chu-ming, 81, nicknamed as 'the father of democracy' in Hong Kong, is a founder of the Democratic Party and served on the government's Basic Law drafting committee in 1985

Martin Lee Chu-ming, 81, nicknamed as ‘the father of democracy’ in Hong Kong, is a founder of the Democratic Party and served on the government’s Basic Law drafting committee in 1985

Protesters with helmet and homemade shields seen during a stand off with Hong Kong police on Sunday night. The demonstrations were triggered by a controversial bill which would have allowed extraditions to China but have evolved into a call for wider democratic reforms

Protesters with helmet and homemade shields seen during a stand off with Hong Kong police on Sunday night. The demonstrations were triggered by a controversial bill which would have allowed extraditions to China but have evolved into a call for wider democratic reforms

The article said that ‘those who play with fire will perish by it’, the same warning given by China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office on Tuesday.

Today, the Hong Kong office of China’s Foreign Ministry lodged stern representations with the United States, urging U.S. officials to stop sending wrong signals to the ‘violent separatists’ in Hong Kong.

China also asked the United States to issue clarifications on media reports that U.S. officials are in contact with leaders among the separatists, the office of the commissioner of China’s foreign ministry in Hong Kong said on its website.

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