Lawmaker calls for watchdog-fight over police abuse

Lawmaker calls for watchdog-fight over police abuse

Priscilla Leung

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Priscilla Leung says she is going to report the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) to the Ombudsman for dismissing her concerns about police officers being abused in relation to the coronavirus outbreak.



On Tuesday, the legislator said police officers in quarantine over Covid-19 fears had been attacked online and she had been alerted to incidents that "obviously have a high chance of having breached the Disability Discrimination Ordinance".



But within hours, the EOC rejected Leung's claim, saying while it is "extremely inappropriate" for people to gloat over members of a particular profession getting caught up in the virus scare, such comments "cannot be reasonably interpreted as inciting hatred, serious contempt or severe ridicule".



Leung, who's also a barrister, said on Friday that the EOC doesn't appear to have even given the complaints a second glance.



"We have not submitted in writing the facts, the evidence and the legal principles we want to raise to support the cases," she said.



"The prompt release of the response of the Equal Opportunities Commission would indicate that they had not thoroughly looked into our cases," Leung said.



She said she will now ask the Ombudsman to look into the behaviour of the EOC because she suspects the equality watchdog has not been dutiful in its work.



Leung, from the Business and Professionals Alliance, also said that at least one police officer is now considering lodging a civil case against people who uploaded songs online laughing at police over their links to the coronavirus outbreak.