EU, alarmed by rising violence in Hong Kong, calls for ‘complete inquiry’ into protests and police behaviour
- EU spokeswoman says such an investigation is ‘a critical element in de-escalation efforts’
- Statement comes as six months of clashes seem to reach a new level of confrontation
The European Union on Tuesday declared that a full investigation was needed into the “root causes” of protests in Hong Kong, where police and protesters turned the campus of one of its top universities into a battlefield.
The regional bloc also urged the city's government to conduct an examination of the violence and police actions as the most recent conflicts have raised six months of clashes to a new level of confrontation.
“A comprehensive inquiry into the violence, use of force and the root causes of the protests is a critical element in de-escalation efforts,” Maja Kocijancic, the EU spokeswoman for foreign affairs and security policy, said.
“The EU has close commercial, cultural and people-to-people ties with Hong Kong. We share a commitment to fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and human rights.”
The spokeswoman’s comments came as the Chinese University of Hong Kong became a combat zone on Tuesday; with the city’s police firing tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons while protesters responded with bricks and petrol bombs.
The violence followed a similar escalation on Monday, when Hong Kong police shot a protester, while in a separate incident a man supporting Hong Kong police was set on fire outside a subway station, apparently by protesters.