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Aggressive and abusive tactics used by the protesters in the 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests

Recurrent violence, vandalism, and arson have been used by a small group of the protesters in the standoff with the police. Shaming campaigns and abuses fuelled by doxxing have been waged against police and perceived police sympathisers. An opinion piece on the Guardian claimed that the protesters had divided in two camps known as the “fighters”, who believe disruption and force are necessary, and a group known as the “peaceful, rational and non-violent”. Citing a recent survey, RTHK reported on 17 August 2019 that 93% responders identified themselves as "peaceful, rational and non-violent"; however, 87% of them responded that they would not split with the "fighters" camp.

Violence, vandalism and arson

In the 21 June 2019 protests, the protesters sprayed the walls of the Tuen Mun police station with profanities, started a fire at the gates, set a rubbish bin on fire, and threw bricks into the station which smashed the windows on the first floor.

On the 1st of July, 2019, the protesters stormed the Legislative Council Complex, smashed furniture, and defaced the Hong Kong emblem. Thirteen police officers were taken to hospital after they were allegedly splashed with an unidentified liquid. The protesters swore at and manhandled several opposition lawmakers who was trying to stop the violence. Pan-democrat legislator Leung Yiu-chung, 66, was physically tackled and knocked to the ground.

In the violent clashes on 14 July 2019, 28 peoples were injured, of which 13 were officers. Citing an unnamed source, SCMP reported that a detective suffered a skull fracture and a sergeant had one of his fingers partly bitten off by a protester. An officer was kicked from behind and tumbled down the stairs, where he was surrounded, kicked and bashed with umbrellas by people thought to be protesters. A student appeared in court on 16 July 2019 on the charge of biting off part of a police officer's finger during the clashes.

On 23 July 2019, the graves of the parents of the pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho were desecrated. Images show that Chinese swear words were sprayed on the gravestones and the wall and the ground near the graves. Ho alleged that pro-democracy lawmaker Eddie Chu’s followers were behind the vandalism after Chu called on the police to investigate Ho’s alleged role in the violent Yuen Long attack.

On 3 August 2019, France24 reported that "protesters have vandalised buildings and thrown bricks, while police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets." Protesters removed a Chinese national flag from its pole and threw it into the Victoria Harbour. SCMP reported on 4 August that the protesters attacked Wong Tai Sin Police Station, vandalising its CCTV system. Protesters set a tree on fire outside the homes of police officers and their families, threw bricks at the lower floors of the building and broke windows. Hundreds protesters blocked police vans, and attacked outnumbered officers with fire extinguishers, helmets, umbrellas and other objects. The extent of the vandalism is captured in a video clip. The police released a video showing the damage inside the disciplined services quarter.

In the 5 August protests, two white-clad and middle-aged men were beaten by protesters on Chung On Street. The men were accused of having previously attacked two young protesters, as part of a group carrying knives and rods. SCMP and the Guardian reported that a driver was stopped by an angry crowd of protesters after driving through a blockage on Healthy Street West, some of whom punched him and shattered his windshield. A group of white-clad men armed with rods initiated a fight with the protestors at North Point. The out-numbered men were fought off by the protesters. Some protesters chased after the men and smashed the windows of an office where the men were believed to be hiding. On the same day, the protesters obstructed MTR train doors from closing, damaged emergency buttons and disrupted normal train services by hurling objects onto the tracks.

On 11 August, an officer suffered second-degree burns from a petrol bomb thrown into the Tsim Sha Tsui police station compound, SCMP reported on 19 August.

The protests in Hong Kong International Airport turned violent on 13 August. Two mainland travellers were detained by protesters who suspected they were mainland security officers. One of the men had his hands tied with cable and was forced to sit on a baggage trolley. "Later the mob repeatedly kicked him as lay on the ground." Image showed one of the men lying on the ground unconsciously with underwear exposed, reportedly beaten by the protesters. A policeman was attacked by a group protesters, one of who snatched his baton. The officer drew his service revolver and pointed it at the violent protesters and held them off. He did not fire the weapon.

On 24 August 2019, the Reuters reported that, in a clash happened at Tsuen Wan, some protesters threw Molotov cocktails and bricks. Some protesters reportedly damaged lamp posts "equipped with surveillance cameras". South China Morning Post reported that "in a now familiar pattern", the protesters threw bricks, petrol bombs, corrosive liquid and other projectiles at the police. They systematically vandalised the lamp posts one by one. On Yen Chow Street in Sham Shui Po, a white-shirted bystander exchanged words with the protesters, who then attacked him violently. A video clip taken by SCMP reporters depicted the fight.

SCMP reported that, on 25 August, a group of protesters chased and attacked several police officers with metal pipes. An officer fired a warning shot in the air when one of his colleagues fell to the ground while the protesters converged on him Protesters broke the glass doors and windows in two mahjong parlours. They also tried to prise open the roller gate of an arcade gaming centre, vandalised the security cameras and outer walls.

Doxxing and shaming campaigns

The protestors have launched shaming campaigns against the police, fuelled by doxxing. The NYT reported that a Telegram channel named 'Dadfindboy' had been used for the doxxing of the officers. Personal information and photos, sometimes intimate, of their family members were repeatedly revealed with language "[b]y turns facetious, juvenile, cruel and profane in tone". The channel had more than 50,000 subscribers and some advocated violence.

Citing police statements, SCMP reported on 19 June 2019 that private information of more than 400 officers and 100 of their family members had been revealed online, and some online users, claiming to be teachers, implied police officers’ children would receive prejudicial treatments . The police arrested nine people on doxxing offences on 3 July 2019. The superintendent Swalikh Mohammed said the police officers and their families received nuisance calls and threatening messages, some "telling them they will die immediately".

RTHK reported on 22 August 2019 that the information of more than 1600 officers had been unlawfully collected and leaked since June, citing a police new release. On a news release, the police displayed several images that appeared to have been taken from facebook pages. Abusive messages can be seen on the images, one of which says, in part, "all police who had ever used violence, your children will not live past 7 if they are younger than 7".

As of 28 August 2019, the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) had transferred more than 600 cases of cyberbullying and leaked personal data, received since extradition bill protests began in June, to police for investigation. 70 percent of these cases involved police officers and their families. The PCPD displayed on a news conference an image of a police officer with his child, captioned: “Get ready to pick up from school with a sack”.

According to a report on 27 July 2019, a group of young people, believed to be protesters, constantly jostling and swearing at an elderly man at Hong Kong’s airport. A yellow note was seen on his back, reading: “Black police plus triads equals to no law”. Witnesses said he earlier pushed aside a poster held by a protester.

The disciplined services quarter at Wong Tai Sin and other police stations were vandalised on 3 August 2019. Abusive Chinese slurs were sprayed on the walls of the quarter where security service officers and their families live. Some slurs read "Accidents will happen to your wives and daughters", "Homes of mafias", "Dog houses", "Wife free to use".

On the ghost festival, 10 August 2019, protesters and residents gathered outside the Wong Tai Sin disciplined services quarter, burnt paper money and chanted offensive slurs in Cantonese (such as "阿SIR，收嘢啦") in front of the police officers. Paper effigies of the lawmaker Junius Ho were burnt.

Some MTR employees' personal information was put on social media, allegedly by protesters sympathisers. Off-duty MTR station officer Kwok Chi-keung was verbally abused by three youngsters on the streets with insulting language such as “You dead blue ribbon". Vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Railway Trade Union, Tam Kin-chiu, also said his personal information including his mobile phone number was posted online. Tam said he had since received numerous anonymous harassing phone calls, some after midnight, and was also called by a financial agent inquiring if he had applied for loans.