Hong Kong Authorities Offer Apologies For Water Cannon Use Against Mosque - Reports

Hong Kong Authorities Offer Apologies for Water Cannon Use Against Mosque - Reports

The authorities of Hong Kong, including Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the police, apologized on Monday for spraying blue substance from a water cannon at the entrance of the city's biggest mosque, Chinese media reported

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st October, 2019) The authorities of Hong Kong, including Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the police, apologized on Monday for spraying blue substance from a water cannon at the entrance of the city's biggest mosque, Chinese media reported.

According to the South China Morning Post newspaper, the entrance of the mosque was hit with colored liquid on Sunday when security officers tried to disperse protesters. Lam and police chief Stephen Lo Wai Chung visited the mosque on Monday and assured the Muslim community that the incident was a coincidence.

"[Lam apologized] for the inadvertent spraying of the mosque's main entrance and gate with colored water," the government said in a statement, following the visit.

The police issued a separate statement, saying that they stood for religious freedom in Hong Kong.

"The police respect religious freedom ... and will spare no effort in protecting all religious premises," the statement said.

The Muslim community accepted the apologies.

"The chief executive and police commissioner all said, 'A mistake has been done and we are sorry for that' ... and we accept [that] because what's done is done ... and they will not repeat it," Said Uddin, secretary for Hong Kong's Muslim community, said, as quoted by the South China Morning Post.

Over the past few months, Hong Kong has been facing a wave of rallies against amendments to the city's extradition law. Protests often turn violent after demonstrators begin engaging in clashes with the police. Law enforcers maintain that they use force proportionately and only in response to violent acts or unlawful behavior by the protesters.

Beijing views the situation in Hong Kong as a result of foreign interference in China's domestic affairs and expresses full support for the actions of the local authorities.