Hong Kong protests: Teachers march against police brutality
Further protests are under way in Hong Kong as thousands gather to march through the city’s streets for a tenth consecutive week.
On Saturday morning, teachers gathered dressed all in black in the city’s central district before marching toward the home of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam in protest at the police brutality shown against protesting students.
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They carried signs that read “protect the next generation” and shouted “don’t shoot our children,” in a show of solidarity, while demanding police halt the violence.
It comes after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets, as well as using “snatch squads” hidden among the crowd to detain people, in order to disperse crowds at previous protests.
One teacher, Winnie Lei, told Sky News she had joined to say “we want to protect our children”.
She added: “We’re quite angry. As teachers, we want to protect children, we want to save our children, and letting them know it’s okay to tell [the government] what is right.”
There will be another anti-government march in Hung Hom afterwards, before a pro-government rally at Tamar Park in Admiralty.
It comes just days after Hong Kong’s international airport cancelled all outbound flights after a mass sit-in, and a day after chief executive of Cathay Pacific Airways resigned amid pressure from China to suspend any staff protesting.
The Chinese government has warned the situation is showing “sprouts of terrorism”.
Protestors have been calling for the shelved extradition bill to be scrapped completely, an increase in democracy, Lam to resign, and an investigation into the use of police force.
UN commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet has called for the authorities to show restraint in dealing with protestors.
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She said: “Officials can be seen firing tear gas canisters into crowded, enclosed areas and directly at individual protesters on multiple occasions, creating a considerable risk of death or serious injury.”
Further concerns have been raised at the possibility of a forceful response after Chinese military held training drills in Shenzhen, with dozens of army trucks spotted across the border.