Public must help the police stop violence, says DAB

Starry Lee (second right) says members of the public can contribute by helping to clear away protesters' makeshift barricades on roads. Photo: RTHK

The chairwoman of the pro-Beijing DAB party, Starry Lee, says the government must come up with ways to draft the public in to help tackle Hong Kong's continuing unrest, because the police are now "exhausted".



Speaking to reporters after meeting the Chief Executive on Thursday morning to discuss the crisis, Lee said she told Carrie Lam she must encourage the whole of society to play a part in clamping down on violent demonstrations.



Lee said people could contribute by stripping down "Lennon walls" or clearing away makeshift barricades that protesters set up on various roads to block traffic .



Her comments came as videos circulated online appearing to show violent clashes between protesters and people taking it upon themselves to clear debris from the streets, with the latest video appearing to show a group carrying metal rods beating a man dressed in black in Sheung Shui.



Lee was asked whether she was encouraging vigilantism with her call for the public to start actively assisting the police.



“I think the government should think of a way to let the public to participate, of course peacefully and lawfully. Just take one simple example, that is to clean up all the roads. I think that is one way the government can think of how to make use of the general public, or how to let the general public to participate”, she replied.



The DAB leader also denied asking the Chief Executive to delay the upcoming district council polls, despite the party raising concerns that the elections may not be fair.



“Up to now, especially during this week, we can’t do any campaigning. We can’t even go to work normally, how can they ensure all the voters to cast their votes safely on the 24th of November?”.



Meanwhile, speculation is rife that the government is considering imposing a curfew to stamp out the ongoing protests, but Lee said she did not discuss the issue with Lam.



Her party-mate and NPC Standing Committee member, Tam Yiu-chung, said on Thursday that a curfew is not really feasible because there aren’t enough police officers in the city to enforce it.



Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok also shot down the idea of a curfew, saying it would only worsen social tension.



“It would not help at all. My question to the government is, when are they going to wake up to the fact that they can’t deal with this crisis by enacting more legislation, more regulations, getting more injunctions and increasing the number of police officers is not going to solve the problem," Kwok said.



"The crisis will only deepen if they are to go down this road. So we call upon them to think again, if they can think at all”, the legal sector lawmaker said.