Arrest of Occupy Central marshals damages trust in police, protesters say
March to police headquarters demands that pair who came to tycoon's aid after animal innards attack are cleared of any wrongdoing
About 100 people marched to police headquarters yesterday to protest over the arrest of two Occupy Central marshals after they subdued three men who threw animal innards at media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying.
The pair were among five people arrested on Wednesday after Lai was struck in the face with the bloody organs at his tent in the Occupy protest zone in Harcourt Road, Admiralty.
Witnesses said the three who launched the attack spoke Cantonese with local accents and swore at the Next Media founder. They were subdued by protesters, who tied their limbs with plastic cables. The men were arrested on suspicion of common assault and fighting in public.
Alex Kwok Siu-kit, head of a 50-strong team of marshals in Admiralty, and colleague Ricky Or Yiu-lam were also arrested on suspicion of fighting.
The marshals were released on bail yesterday morning. But their arrest infuriated Occupy supporters, who called on police to apologise and drop the case.
Pan-democratic lawmakers including Lee Cheuk-yan, "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung and Emily Lau Wai-hing joined about 100 people on the march from the Admiralty protest site. The marchers did not seek police permission as required by law and said their protest - like the Occupy campaign as a whole - was an act of civil disobedience.
