[GUEST] [translation on a sleepless night] Hundred times a horror, what I saw at the square (Title set by editor) Sunday 2014-09-28 Cheung King Yeung (transliteration) Staying behind for a night, I still feel haunted after a few hours rest back home. However, not resigned to the unreasonable treatment last night, I decided to sort out my thoughts and write out my experience. Last night, my friend and I left Admiralty around 8pm, planning to go home for MV editing after having dinner together. About 10pm, we received the news on our way home, that there were students being surrounded after getting into the Civil Square. It was a chaotic scene. I was worried about the safety of students, worried about my classmates and girlfriend at the site. I decided to return to Admiralty. Back outside the gate of government headquaters, meeting with my friend and girlfriend, I started to observe the situation. Under the appeal of the organizer, citizens are arranging the collection and distribution of resources. Many citizens were monitoring the police in the square, in fear of them using excessive violence again, as in the arrest of Joshua Wong and others. In the following few hours, citizens also started to gather on Tim Mei Avenue, the roundabout outside CITIC tower, and around the Legco building. They set lines of defense, in hope of protecting students with the power of citizens, by re-surrounding the police and students inside the square. Seeing that citizens kept delivering in resources, participants were very encouraged. At the same time, citizens also received information from all sources, that massive amount of police officers are setting up defense, riot police and water cannons were on stand-by. Despite feeling unsettled, citizens chose to sit down and rest to conserve energy. Then at around 2am, police started to advance from three sides in turn. The stage announced that police kept using pepper spray and appealed to the citizens to come outside CITIC Tower and Legco building to backup, because those inside could not sustain for long. Not long after, there were no more announcements coming from the stage. We received the news on the Internet, the MC was arrested. I, my girlfriend and friend were staying at the parking entrance beside the goverment headquarters. Together with other citizens, we built human chains to guard this second line of defense. We were afraid, but we knew that if we lost here, people inside the square will be out of support. In addition, people around here had reached a consensus, that we would raise up our hands and retreat back upon encounter with police, aiming at delaying the action of police to let more people to come support. We had no intention of assaulting police. During the formation of the human chains, I met quite some of my schoolmates from Sing Yin and Asw. Our eyes met and we bade each other to watch out for the circumstances. All of a sudden, there were police pressing on from under the CITIC flyover, but being outnumbered by citizens, the police could not succeed and backed off. Nevertheless, police suddenly switched to individual mode to break out towards the stage. A few police waved and sprayed the pepper spray on hand, as if they were spraying pesticide. As the citizens were unprepared of the situation, and they had lifted their hand to show their absence of any intention to assault police, several police officers swiftly came right to us. The police came in front of us. Please stop charging, or else pepper spray will be applied, merely half finishing the sentence, sprays were going skyward. We tried to shield with umbrellas, but the police pulled them away. Before even recognizing our face, they sprayed at our face and eyes. My girlfriend got hit by the spray near her mouth. I immediately pulled her aside and help her wash with water. Other girl friends also helped other spray victims in washing. Nevertheless, police aimed that we had more ladies on this side, focused their power here. Two police tried to break out near us. We shouted that there were already people injured, appealing for the cease of pepper spray use. They remained indifferent, and shot pepper right onto my girlfriends face. I guarded her with my back in between, palms up and shouted Injured already. No more spray. What followed were only continuous shooting on my nape, my left face, left eye and left hand were hit. Before the sensation of spray came, my right back was attacked continuously by their fist. My left leg was receiving their forceful kicks. I felt so much pain on these body parts as if they no longer belong to me. Thankfully, with the help from other citizens, we escaped eventually. Police also shrank away. It was excruciating to be hit by pepper spray. There was a moment when I lost my sight completely. Fortunately, there were volunteer first-aid treatments with milk. Eventually I was fine, leaving only a body fully pepper-adoured, wound-covered. How come police can use pepper spray and excessive force without reasonable warning? In face of weaponless students came active charges and physical assaults? Continuous attack for students already injured? My girlfriend is just a helpless lady. Why would she received such violence even after her injury? You probably have watched the next assault by police at 7pm should on the news. I can only say, the actual situation was more horrible than it seemed on video by tens and hundreds times: riot police who lost humanity, pepper spray everywhere, all the howls and screams still linger at my ears now I close my eyes; citizens were dragged on the ground, the acidic stink all along the road... All of these remain clear in my mind. I know the fault is not on students, not on citizens, even not on police. It is the system that is wrong, the authority. When will the authority who love the people like sons dare to face the problem, face the people? Source: inmediahk.net/node/1026559
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 08:25:10 +0000
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