Aug. 31 marks the third anniversary of the “8.31 incident at Prince Edward MTR Station” in Hong Kong. It is of no surprise that large-scale commemorative activities are not able to take place in Hong Kong since the implementation of the national security law (NSL). Nevertheless, there was an increased police presence at and around the site of the incident this year. Most of them were deployed and patrolled around Exit B1 of the station and its neighbourhood.
They seemed to target particularly those citizens in black outfits, or those holding flowers. These people were the most likely to be stopped and checked. During one such incident, a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct in public and resisting arrest. However, Hongkongers in the UK, the US, and Canada held no fewer than a dozen commemorative events and continued to demand a full investigation of police brutality. It was estimated a few thousand people attended these rallies….