A tactical police officer takes down a tent in Causeway Bay yesterday. (Laurel Chor/Coconuts Media)
A long 87 days later, the Occupy movement is over: there remain no streets blocked, no tents erected in the name of democracy anywhere in Hong Kong.
On Nov. 25, Mong Kok was cleared. Admiralty followed suit on Thursday. Finally, yesterday the authorities reopened the roads in Causeway Bay and removed the last tents from in front of the LegCo complex in Admiralty.
According to the police, a total of 955 were arrested for committing crimes related to the protests. The police arranged medical treatment for 221 injured protesters, while 130 officers were hurt.
On Thursday, a sergeant felt unwell while the police were clearing Admiralty. He was later found unconscious and without a pulse, and has since been in a coma and in critical condition in hospital.
Commissioner of Police Andy Tsang said yesterday that during Causeway Bay’s clearance the police “continued to be highly transparent and officers highly professional and restrained”.
He added that over the course of the protests the police have “exercised a high degree of tolerance and restraint”.
“No matter how complicated or dangerous the situation was, or how onerous the missions were, our officers did their best to ensure public order and public safety,” Tsang said, speaking from a completely objective perspective, of course.
Tsang also listed the dates on which the police were forced to use “the minimum level of force”, which was apparently used “only for the purpose of achieving lawful purpose”.
Ironically, the dates include Oct. 15, when seven police officers were show on film appearing to be beating up a handcuffed protester after the authorities cleared Lung Wo Road in Admiralty, but Tsang made no mention of the incident nor of the involved officers’ subsequent arrests.
The police received 1,972 complaints in relation to the protests, 106 of which they have deemed reportable.
Most of these are complaints about “neglect of duty” (i.e. “You’re not doing enough to clear the roads!”) and “unnecessary use of authority” (i.e. “You’re doing too much to clear the roads!”).
Chief Executive CY Leung praised the public servants who “stayed committed to their work despite tremendous pressure”, and “made relentless efforts to serve Hong Kong people and minimise the disturbances caused by the occupy movement”.
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