Hong Kong protesters and riot police clashed violently on July 1, 2019, the 22nd anniversary of the handover of the city from British to Chinese rule.

Hundreds of protesters attacked the Legislative Council (LegCo) building, breaking glass panels and forcing their way inside at about 9pm.

Protesters then vandalised the council chamber, spray-painted slogans on the walls, smashed portraits, and draped the flag of British colonial Hong Kong over the desk of the LegCo president.

Red alert and police warning

A "red alert" was issued by the LegCo secretariat, with non-essential staff evacuated.

The Hong Kong police also issued a warning on their official Facebook page and Twitter account, calling on the protesters to vacate the premises or expect "appropriate force".

It was shared at 10:21pm, according to the Facebook post.

Here's what the police spokesperson said (translated):

"A group of rioters broke into LegCo complex today. They used metal barriers, metal bars, and some other objects to vandalise the outside of LegCo and its facilities, resulting in severe damage. At around 9pm, LegCo complex was stormed by rioters, and they vandalised the facilities recklessly. We give our strongest condemnation. Now we give our warning: Due to the rioters’ violence, the police force will reach the LegCo area in a while and disperse protesters. If anyone tries to stop or resist us, the police force will adopt reasonable force. We also urge protesters that are not related to it (i.e. the violence/ vandalism inside the LegCo building) leave the area as soon as possible." (Italicised part ours).

At around midnight, police managed to secure the building and clear it of remaining protesters.

You can see the post and the video below, put up at 10.21pm:

Time video recorded called into question

But Hong Kong netizens noticed something weird about the police-issued video.

Coming under close scrutiny is the watch worn on the left wrist of the police representative.

From the looks of it, the watch was indicating a time that was closer to 5 o'clock -- assuming that it was not worn upside down.

If it was worn upside down, the time indicated appeared to be half-past 11.

One such Facebook post, which garnered over 5,000 shares, discussed this detail.

The caption said (translated):

"What kind of game is it when you record the video at 5pm to condemn the clash at LegCo at 9pm?"

Strangely prescient

At first glance, it may not seem like much.

After all, videos could be recorded at an earlier time and shared on social media platforms subsequently.

But as pointed out, if the video truly was recorded hours before it was shared, then how did the police spokesperson know that the protesters were going to storm the LegCo building, and mention it in his statement?

The caption said (translated):

Some explanations they may come up with: 1. My watch ran out of battery at 5 by coincidence. 2. It's given to me by my wife who passed away few years ago. 3. It's a compass. 4. My watch is actually a prop. 5. It's just my habit to wear my watch upside down, it's supposed to be 23:30.

The caption said (translated):

"You already know protesters are gonna storm the LegCo wow can you introduce your medium to me?"

The caption said (translated):

"They're getting off work at 6pm, so they probably recorded a few versions of the "finale.""

Police not at the building?

The South China Morning Post reported that the protesters attacked the building and entered at around 9pm.

They also reported that the police seemed to be elsewhere when this happened:

"Police stood by inside the building throughout the day, fully equipped with riot gear, while the crowd went on the rampage outside, and were nowhere to be seen when the protesters finally forced their way inside at night and vandalised the chamber."

The suggestion amongst the conspiratorially minded was that the police allowed the LegCo building to be breached knowingly.

Violence condemned

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam subsequently held a press conference at 4am, condemning the protesters' violent acts, and said she was "outraged".

However, she also mentioned the largely peaceful July 1 march.

According to SCMP, she said:

"We have seen two entirely different public scenes. One is a regular march on July 1. Regardless of the number of participants in the march, the march was peaceful and generally orderly. This fully reflects the inclusiveness of Hong Kong society, and the core values we attach to peace and order. The second scene, which really saddens and shocks a lot of people, is the extreme use of violence and vandalism by protesters who stormed into the Legislative Council building. This is something that we should seriously condemn, because nothing is more important than the rule of law in Hong Kong."

As of 5pm on July 2, speculation is still rife in Hong Kong as to what the strange timing on the wrist watch entailed.

Top image from Hong Kong police's Facebook page.