Hong Kong’s protest-hit banks allowed to keep protective covers, despite taking up public land
- Supporters of the anti-government movement lodged a series of complaints about the fortifications, put up by banks and businesses attacked by demonstrators
- Lands Department orders their removal, before suspending its action in light of the sites’ security needs
Protective structures used to prevent banks from being attacked by protesters will be allowed to stay, despite encroaching onto public land, Hong Kong’s government has decided.
That came after a campaign of complaints by protest supporters against fortified Bank of China branches.
During anti-government unrest which has gripped Hong Kong for months, protesters have targeted mainland Chinese banks and other businesses judged to be pro-Beijing, smashing up outlets and setting some on fire. Some have built metal-and-wood barriers around their premises, which in some cases have encroached onto the pavement.
Users of LIHKG, an online platform popular among protesters, urged people to identify mainland-backed banks whose barriers occupied government land, and lodge complaints to the Lands Department in the hope of officials issuing a demolition order.
In a statement released on Wednesday evening, the department said complaints had been filed against a Bank of China branch on Kau Yuk Road in Yuen Long. It said it served a demolition order last Friday, demanding that the bank remove the protective structure before November 25.
