ABOUT 2,000 parents, social workers and women’s groups, mostly wearing black and carrying yellow umbrellas, marched to police headquarters in Wan Chai (灣仔) to protest against alleged police brutality.

Meanwhile, detained protesters from last weekend’s violent clashes at Tamar (添馬) met with the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC, 監警會) on Monday to lodge complaints against “inhumane police treatment” during clearance, arrests and detention in recent months. They include delayed access to medical treatment or washrooms, repeated late-night roll calls and refusal to turn off big fans or hand out blankets while in detention.

In the Wan Chai rally by ‘Umbrella Parents’ (「傘下爸媽」) comprising 17 groups, the protesters, some of whom carried photos of police hitting protesters, marched from Southorn Playground (修頓球場) on Johnston Road (莊士頓道) to the Police Headquarters on Arsenal Street (軍器廠街).

Eva Chan Sik-chee (陳惜姿) of a parents’ concern group said, “When they lose control, they turn into monsters. They have weapons while citizens are unarmed.”

Some protesters used black fabric to cover their eyes and stood silently, symbolising the government and police turning a blind eye to frontline officers violating rules.

Outside the Legislative Council (立法會) complex on Tim Mei Avenue (添美道) at Tamar, a group of 20 protesters said they plan to sue the police for inhumane treatment.

(The Standard, 8 December 2014)