The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Saturday strongly condemned the vandalism and violent acts of protesters in Kowloon area, adding that police will strictly take action on illegal activities.
In a statement published on its official website, the government said some protesters deviated from the approved procession route and set up road barricades in Kowloon East and in Sham Shui Po, paralyzing traffic and affecting emergency services.
The violent protesters also vandalized public properties, committed arson, hurled suspected petrol bombs and attacked officers with bricks, jeopardizing the safety of the public and police.
The statement also noted a number of smart lampposts were damaged by protesters.
The government stressed it has repeatedly clarified that smart lampposts do not carry the facial recognition function and would not infringe upon personal privacy. The lampposts only collect traffic and air quality data to foster smart city development.
However, irrational protesters disregarded the facts and deliberately vandalized the lampposts.
The government urged protesters to stop the violence so that order can be restored as soon as possible.
