Amid reports of hundreds of Hong Kong police officers coming to Canada to participate in a sports game, a democracy group is raising concerns that their presence will rekindle “painful memories” for many Hong Kong diasporas who were victims of police brutality.
The Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement (VSSDM), a non-for-profit created pursuant to China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, said they find it “highly inappropriate” for the Hong Kong Police Force to be allowed to participate in the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) that is set to run from July 28 to Aug. 6 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
“Over the last four years, Hong Kong police have brutally attacked peaceful demonstration participants in Hong Kong, wrongfully arrested protesters, and violated their basic human rights, including freedom of speech and freedom of assembly,” VSSDM Chair Mabel Tung told The Epoch Times in an email statement.
“Moreover, many Hongkongers have been exiled to Canada to escape human rights abusers. The presence of Hong Kong police may trigger painful memories of violent attacks for some protestors, who may still be afraid to face any authority figures in uniform, such as our police in Canada.”
