Police have arrested 12 people connected to a protest on Monday morning, over what police said was a “violent incident” in the vicinity of the Legislative Council Complex in Admiralty.
The suspects – 11 men and one woman – ranged from 14 to 36 years of age, and were arrested for charges including unlawful assembly, assaulting a police officer, obstructing a police officer, possession of offensive weapons, contravening the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995 and failing to carry identity documents.
On Monday morning, protests were held to coincide with the flag-raising ceremony taking place at the Convention and Exhibition Centre nearby. The ceremony was moved indoors and was attended by Chief Executive Carrie Lam and other top officials.
Police also arrested a man in relation to protests on two separate dates: the Legislative Council demonstrations on the evening of July 1, as well as the protests at the police headquarters on June 21. The 31-year-old was arrested in Mong Kok on Wednesday for assaulting a police officer, criminal damage, forcible entry and behaving in a disorderly manner in a public place.
Earlier on Wednesday, police said they will “resolutely pursue the protestors for their illegal and violent acts” which took place on July 1.
“The Organized Crime and Triad Bureau is now actively investigating and collecting evidence relating to the incident in order to bring the offenders to justice,” the statement read.
In a separate move, police also said on Wednesday that six people were arrested in connection to the June 30 pro-police rally. The suspects were five men and a woman, ranging from 20 to 72 years of age, and they were arrested for possession of offensive weapons, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and fighting in a public place.
Hundreds of masked protesters took the unprecedented step of storming the legislature on Monday evening, vandalising and damaging many of its spaces. All protesters left around midnight, and police deployed tear gas to clear the surrounding roads in Admiralty.
On the morning after, scores of police officers arrived at the building to collect evidence.