Hong Kong Ensures ‘Stable’ Holiday With Thousands of Riot Police
- ‘National security has been safeguarded,’ Carrie Lam says
- New security law, Covid restrictions deter mass demonstrations
Riot police stand guard during a protest in Causeway Bay district on National Day in Hong Kong on Oct. 1.
Photographer: Chan Long Hei/BloombergHong Kong leader Carrie Lam relied on thousands of riot police to enforce what she declared was a return to stability, sweeping up scores of would-be protesters before they could mobilize another mass demonstration on the anniversary of communist rule in China.
Crowds that gathered at popular protest points on National Day were met by phalanxes of armor-clad officers, with some 6,000 riot police deployed ahead of the holiday. As of 10 p.m. Thursday, police had arrested at least 86 people, including four district councilors, on suspicion of attending unauthorized assemblies and other offenses. Another 20 were ticketed for violating outbreak-control measures banning gatherings of more than four people.