HK reporter accuses police of violence

A Hong Kong reporter disrupted a police news conference on Monday to protest what she called escalating violence by officers against journalists covering the city’s pro-democracy protests.

The reporter interrupted the briefing by reading a statement alleging police mistreatment and obstruction of reporters covering the chaotic demonstrations.

To emphasize her point, she used a high-powered strobing flashlight similar to ones that police have used on photographers and video journalists.

The five officers sitting on the stage quickly left, leaving the reporter to deliver her remarks before staff intervened.

“They’re stopping us from carrying out our duties to report what happened in the field,” said the reporter. “They tear off our gas masks and even deploy pepper spray on us every time,” she said, adding that press freedom in Hong Kong was under threat.

She did not give her name but other reporters on social media identified her as Amy Ip, a freelance journalist. Sophie McNeill of the Australian Broadcasting Corp. tweeted that Ip helped produce a recent report on Hong Kong for the network.

Tensions are rising further between police and media after violent demonstrations on Sunday night in which police used aggressive tactics against media and detained a photojournalist overnight.

Police said they arrested 206 people over the past week for offenses including unlawful assembly, criminal damage and arson. MDT/AP