Protesters say police heavy-handed in ending rally

Protesters say police heavy-handed in ending rally

People attending a rally in Central on Sunday have complained about the way it was ended by police.



The rally had only started for an hour and appeared to be mostly peaceful. But roads by Chater Garden – the venue of the rally – had been occupied by black-clad protesters and some bricks had been dug up.



Riot officers fired tear-gas in response to what they said was increasing violence by "rioters" in the area, leading to scenes of chaos.



One woman said police had blocked all the paths out of the area and even closed MTR entrances. She said: "There are so many people and impossible for everyone to leave quickly.



"This made people very tense. It was a relatively peaceful but they [police] called the event off early and it's unacceptable. I don't know what they're afraid of."



The rally had been called to urge the international community to put sanctions on Hong Kong officials who undermine human rights.



One of those attending the gathering, a Ms Lam, who works in the art industry, said it's important to let the international world know they will also suffer if rights here are eroded.



She said "It's a globalised world and the impact of what the Chinese government does to Hong Kong" also affects businesses and governments that have interests in the city.



"Without freedom of speech, of press, of assembly this isn't a free economy. All the businesses that have vested interests in Hong Kong should be really alarmed by this because businesses cannot be survive in Hong Kong without taking a political stance anymore."



The government issued a statement saying it's regrettable that some protesters want foreign governments to impose sanctions against officials in Hong Kong. It said foreign governments or organisations should not try to affect or intervene - by any means - in local affairs.