Advertisement
Hong Kong protests: Police arrested nearly 4,500 people since violence erupted over extradition bill in June
- Arrest figure is similar to that during the 1967 riots, which is considered Hong Kong’s worst-ever disturbance
- Experts attribute high number of arrests to wider public participation and police strategy of detaining people even without strong evidence
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Police have arrested nearly 4,500 people in connection with anti-government protests since June, similar to the total number of arrests during the 1967 riots, which is considered Hong Kong’s worst-ever disturbance.
Advertisement
Experts on civil unrest attribute the high number of arrests in the ongoing protests to wider areas affected by anti-government sentiment compared with those plagued by 1967 riots. Police’s strategy of arresting people even without strong evidence has also led to a rise in the arrest figures, the experts said.
Some 4,498 people were arrested between May 1967 and June 1968, of which 2,077 were eventually convicted for taking part in the disturbances which nearly brought the city to a standstill.
On Monday afternoon, police said a total of 4,491 people had already been arrested in connection with the protests since the first anti-government rally took place on June 9.
The protests, which have roiled the city for more than five months, were initially triggered by the now-withdrawn extradition bill but have since morphed into a wider anti-government campaign.
Advertisement