Visitors at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on Friday pose for a group photo with members of the Airport Security Unit during the exhibition “United We Stand”, which was organized by the Hong Kong Police Force. EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY
Hong Kong residents visiting an exhibition that retells stories of the prolonged street violence in 2019 expressed their support and confidence in the city’s police force.
The free exhibition, which opened to the public on Thursday, is in the foyer of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. It is open from 9 am to 11 pm through Sunday.
For people who are unhappy, dissatisfied with the environment they’re living in, with the government of the day, … that could not justify violence
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor,
Hong Kong Chief Executive
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exhibition on Thursday, Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee urged all of society to set aside differences, not be misled by unfounded information, and join hands with the police force to build a better Hong Kong.
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Noting the aspirations of the police force have remained unchanged, Siu pledged that the force will continue to fulfill its responsibilities, protect people’s lives, and maintain law and order.
In one zone of the exhibition named “Know the Facts”, some photos from one scene but taken from different positions amid the 2019 social unrest were displayed to demonstrate to residents that what they see in photos or video clips online sometimes may not tell the full story, and this is why one should be wary of rumors.
Also on display at the exhibition were thank-you cards and letters from children to the police force, and real stories about what some police officers and their family members went through in 2019.
A civil servant who gave only her surname, Yau, came to the exhibition as an expression of her gratitude to the police officers who have suffered over the past two years.
She said the visit is also a way to show her support to the police force, and she hopes it can give them strength.
A saleswoman surnamed Li and her son who was looking at exhibition boards on Friday afternoon said that the photos on display brought her back to 2019. She has firsthand experience about what happened to police officers’ family members during the social unrest, during which many were hostile toward the police and their loved ones.
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Li’s husband is a police officer who participated in the months-long anti-violence operations in 2019. She said the whole family was harassed by unfair and biased abuse both online and offline in that violent period.
Li said the family has been supporting the police force and understands what they went through in the difficult time. She asked the people of Hong Kong to cherish the city’s hard-earned stability and make joint efforts to secure a better future for the city.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Friday that those who have been sympathetic to the rioters and opposed the police since the social unrest in 2019 owe the city’s police force an apology.
Speaking on an English-language local radio program, Lam said the police force has been treated unfairly since the unrest.
Recalling the chaos, Lam said the unrest was a security issue, with bricks and gasoline bombs thrown at innocent people holding different opinions.
“For people who are unhappy, dissatisfied with the environment they’re living in, with the government of the day, … that could not justify violence. That could not justify breaching the law and killing people. Let’s be very clear on that,” Lam said.
