Hong Kong Watch commemorates fifth anniversary of 831 Incident

Five years after the ‘831 Incident’ on 31 August 2019, which involved the Hong Kong Police Force attacking Hong Kong citizens indiscriminately at the Prince Edward MTR Station, Hong Konger groups organised a rally at Trafalgar Square in London on 31 August 2024 to protest against the Hong Kong authorities suppressing fundamental freedoms through police violence and white terror.

At the rally, Hong Kong Watch co-founder and Trustee Benedict Rogers delivered a speech, condemning the brutality of the 831 Incident. Mr Rogers said, “We commemorate such anniversaries, not simply to honour those who suffered on that terrible day but also to remind the world what happened then and what is happening now in Hong Kong, to make sure that Hong Kong stands on the agenda.” He also expressed outrage at the fact that not a single Hong Kong police officer involved in the Incident has been held to account for their actions.

At the same time in Hong Kong, police officers searched many individuals and took away one man from Prince Edward MTR Station. The man who was taken away, to Mong Kok Police Station, was deemed suspicious for holding a white flower and bowing outside the MTR Station. His actions mirror previous monthly remembrances of the incident by pro-democracy activists and individuals who would leave white flowers and bow outside of the MTR Station. Since 2020, the monthly remembrances have ceased to exist under the police’s strict enforcement of the National Security Law which violates one’s right to peaceful assembly.

The 831 Incident was one of the key moments of the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Watch condemns the brutality of this incident, and continues to urge the international community to impose targeted sanctions on responsible Hong Kong officials, including Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee.

Photo credit: Hong Kong Watch Advisor Luke de Pulford

香港監察紀念「831事件」五週年 港人走上倫敦街頭集會 羅傑斯呼籲繼續身體力行發聲

2019年8月31日，香港警察在太子地鐵站無差別襲擊市民。「831事件」發生五年後，多個港人團體於2024年8月31日在倫敦特拉法加廣場（Trafalgar Square）舉行集會，抗議香港當局以警察暴力和白色恐怖壓制基本自由。

香港監察共同創辦人兼信託人羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）在會上發言，譴責「831事件」的暴行。羅傑斯表示：「我們紀念這類週年日子，不單是為了向在那可怕一天受苦的人致敬，也是為了提醒世界香港當時發生的事情以及現時發生的事情，確保國際社會持續關注香港。」他亦對事件發生至今仍無任何肇事港警被問責表達憤慨。

「831事件」是2019年香港抗爭運動的重要時刻之一。香港監察譴責事件的暴行，同時繼續促請國際社會點名制裁香港行政長官李家超等負責港官。