Hong Kong authorities say the riot officer was trying to post pro-democracy signs near a rail station. Some protesters see hope in divided police ranks.
It seemed for a moment like a breakthrough for demonstrators in Hong Kong — the first arrest of a police officer in connection with the protest movement after months of violent confrontations.
The off-duty officer and his companions, who were caught with electric drills, glue and political posters, apparently had been planning to erect “Officers who are sympathetic to the protesters can’t share their real thoughts,” said Canaan Wong, a. “Those that do have to do it very carefully and privately or they’ll get in trouble” with their colleagues.
Public support for the police force has reached record lows in opinion polls, which also show significant support for an independent investigation into officer misconduct. But the Hong Kong government has resisted launching that kind of inquiry. The Hong Kong Bar Assn. sent a proposal to Lam this past week imploring her to open an independent commission, saying it was necessary to heal the rift in the city of 7.4 million.
“In the past, the Hong Kong police were called to maintain order,” Wu said. “Now they’re being asked to preserve the regime.”
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