Hong Kong protests: Equal Opportunities Commission gets 300 inquiries during unrest, mostly third-party allegations of sexual discrimination against police

Watchdog chief Ricky Chu says Hongkongers contacted commission in majority of cases to voice concern about officers’ behaviour during arrests or stop-and-search operations

But their inquiries are not considered official complaints against police because they did not come directly from alleged victims, Chu says

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Riot police make arrests in Mong Kok following scuffles with anti-government protesters. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 4:22pm, 16 Oct 2019Updated: 5:30pm, 18 Oct 2019

Hong Kong’s equal opportunities watchdog has received more than 300 inquiries since mid-June in connection with the protests, mostly in relation to alleged sexual discrimination by police, its chairman said on Wednesday.

Classified as “questions” rather than complaints, the majority concerned alleged inappropriate or violating behaviour by officers during arrests or stop-and-search operations.

However, the Equal Opportunities Commission has not received any complaints directly from someone who said they were a victim.

The information needed to come from affected parties to be considered complaints, otherwise they were classed as questions, he explained.

Equal Opportunities Commission chief Ricky Chu Man-kin. Photo: Nora Tam

Chu said the inquiries started coming in following the circulation of a video in late June that appeared to show officers dragging a woman in a skirt across the ground, exposing her in public, during a street protest against the government’s now-scrapped extradition bill.

Clashes between protesters and police have taken place regularly since demonstrations first erupted in early June against the bill. Since October 1, China’s National Day, the level of violence and vandalism has escalated, with MTR stations, shops, banks and restaurants with links to mainland China trashed.