- Title: Hospital front-line staff protest against police violence in Hong Kong
- Date: 13th August 2019
- Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (AUGUST 13, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL WORKERS SITTING ON STAIRCASE HOLDING UP PLACARDS, CHANTING (Cantonese): "HONG KONG PEOPLE, ADD OIL!" AND "HONG KONG POLICE KNOW THE LAW, BREAK THE LAW" (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese), 24-YEAR-OLD NURSE, ALFRED LUK, SAYING: "Well, the medical workers coming out today are here to fight to get our freedoms back. And to protect the freedoms of others. Because during the last few months, there were a lot of times that the people were coming out to fight for our rights and our freedoms, and they were obstructed by the police. In fact we have seen that a lot of police came into the hospitals to arrest people. This impacts the trust towards the hospital and the trust of the hospital workers, so I think there it is necessary to come out and take a stand." VARIOUS OF HOSPITAL WORKERS SEATED ON STAIRCASE HOLDING UP PLACARDS READING (Chinese and English) "HONG KONG POLICE ATTEMPT TO MURDER HONG KONG CITIZENS" (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) 23-YEAR-OLD NURSE, HARRY YEUNG, SAYING: "So I think that everything the police have done has been marked by too much violence. The damage to the citizens has been severe, and as a medical worker I don't want to see any people get injured. Seeing this situation, I myself feel the impact strongly." VARIOUS OF PROTESTING HOSPITAL WORKERS SEATED WHILE HOLDING PLACARD READING (English and Chinese) "HONG KONG POLICE ATTEMPT TO MURDER HONG KONG CITIZENS" VARIOUS OF PROTESTING HOSPITAL WORKERS SEATED ON STAIRCASE
- Embargoed: 27th August 2019 10:10
- Keywords: Hong Kong police violence staff hospital
- Location: HONG KONG, CHINA
- City: HONG KONG, CHINA
- Country: Hong Kong
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA001AS1USEF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: More than 100 medical workers assembled at Hong Kong's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and other public hospitals, on Tuesday (August 13) in a silent protest to show their discontent with heavy-handed police tactics during recent protests.
The protests took place at the same time as protesters were attempting to block flight departures and arrivals at Hong Kong International Airport, and two days after activists alleged a medical volunteer had been wounded in the eye by a police bean bag round in a police operation.
"The medical workers coming out today are here to fight to get our freedoms back, and to protect the freedoms of others", said 24-year-old nurse Alfred Luk to Reuters, adding that police coming into hospitals to arrest people impacts the trust towards medical workers and the hospitals themselves.
Demonstrators say they are fighting the erosion of the "one country, two systems" arrangement enshrining some autonomy for Hong Kong when China took it back in 1997. They are calling on the government to listen to public demands particularly an independent investigation into the handling of the protests.
The increasingly violent protests since June have emerged as Hong Kong's most serious crisis in decades and become one of the biggest challenges to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he took power in 2012.
(Production: Aleksander Solum) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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