36 fined for gathering ban breach in Yuen Long

Riot police had stopped and searched many people in Yuen Long on Tuesday night, as people marked nine months since the July 21 attack at the MTR station. Photo: RTHK

The police said on Wednesday that officers issued 36 penalty tickets in Yuen Long to people alleged to be violating the ban on public gatherings on Tuesday night.



Many people had been in the area to mark nine months since a shocking attack by a white-shirted mob left dozens bloodied and injured at the MTR station there.



But a couple had told RTHK they were just walking their dog when they were stopped and searched by officers.



They then accused officers of bundling them together with a group of strangers before telling them they had violated the ban on public gathering of any more than four people, which had been implemented as an anti-epidemic measure last month.



They were given HK$2,000 fixed-penalty tickets.



The force also said two people were pepper-sprayed, then arrested by officers after they allegedly refused to follow orders to leave a footbridge on Fung Cheung Road.



Riot police had kept a heavy presence in the district, which has seen monthly protests since the July 21 attack.



Critics have accused the police of turning a blind eye to the mob which used sticks and poles to beat train passengers and passersby, citing a 39-minute delay between the time the attack started, and when police finally arrived, though the force has rejected such claims.