Best Interest of the Police State

January 2, 2015 permalink

Chinese authorities are separating a child from her parents as a means of suppressing dissent in Hong Kong. The prior dissent in Beijing's Tiananmen square in 1989 was broken up with tanks, leaving China with a scarred reputation that has not healed. The new method comes from successful police states such as East Germany that separated parents and children to stifle embryonic dissent. The Chinese are even claiming that the separation is in "the best interest of the subject child".

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12:16 pm HKT, Dec 31, 2014

Hong Kong Police Try to Take 14-Year-Old Protester Away From Parents

Messages of support written on Post-its cover a wall near an occupied area in Hong Kong in October.

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A teenage girl in Hong Kong who was arrested after drawing chalk flowers on a wall during recent pro-democracy protests could be removed from her father’s care.

The girl, 14, was arrested on Dec. 23 at a staircase leading to the Central Government Offices in the city’s Admiralty district, an area which pro-democracy protesters had occupied for more than two months until mid-December.

The wall had been covered with Post-its carrying notes from well-wishers during the protests, and was named the “Lennon Wall.” It became one of the most iconic landmarks of the protests.

A judge ruled Monday that the girl be sent to a children’s home for three weeks while the court considers an application by Hong Kong police that she be removed from the care of her father, prompting anger from activists. Patricia Ho, a legal representative for the girl, said that the police had said they believe the father can’t exercise proper care for his daughter.

“I still don’t understand why [the police] are not charging the kid if they wish to deter them from the actual action. They’re going sideways and looking at whether the family can take care of them, almost implying that if any parent allows their child to take part in this movement then they are neglecting their child,” said Ms. Ho.

In a statement released Tuesday evening, Hong Kong police said the application is in “the best interest of the subject child” and has no “political consideration.”

Numerous teenagers who participated in the protests were arrested on various charges. Some teenagers who took part in the protests and weren’t arrested also say they have been refused entry to mainland China and Macau.

According to Ms. Ho, the girl had a previous run-in with the police involving a bullying incident in school where she was the victim. The girl’s father also has a serious hearing disability. Ms. Ho said the family wasn’t currently available for comment.

“It’s premature and disproportionate,” said Ms. Ho. “It wasn’t an application by the Social Welfare Department as it usually would be. Police threw in a bunch of facts they obtained about the family in a very superficial manner.”

Since the clearance of the Admiralty site, protesters have returned to the wall to stick Post-it notes on it again. Since the arrest of the girl, there has been a police presence guarding the wall. A small protest camp on the sidewalk outside of the Legislative Council building remains, where protesters have pitched dozens of tents.

Police have also applied for a 14-year-old boy to be removed from his parents after he was arrested during the clearance of another protest site in Mong Kok in late October. Ms. Ho is also representing the boy.

Lawyers representing the girl filed an application for a re-hearing on bail conditions for the girl on Tuesday. According to a court order, the girl is now allowed to go home, so long as she stays with her father at his residence and attends school. She is also under curfew from the hours of 10pm to 6am, and when going outside must be in the company of her father, sister or a social worker.

The girl will also attend a court hearing on Jan. 19, when a judge will decide on the police application.

This post has been updated. – Isabella Steger. Follow her on Twitter @stegersaurus

Source: Wall Street Journal