<![CDATA[Storming protesters were 'like zombies': a police officer's view from inside the Hong Kong legislature]>

Never in his 10 years of service in the police force was Detective Aden Lee (not his real name) horrified at work, until he spent July 1 guarding Hong Kong's legislature against protesters.

"I was horrified not because I wanted to go home. But I had never expected such ferocity and barbarity in my entire life. The protesters were like zombies, shattering the glass walls and gates with metal poles from the outside. Just like the movie Train to Busan," recalled the detective, who is in his late 30s.

It was Lee's first direct confrontation with protesters, as he joined the anti-riot police squad only early last month, when Hongkongers started taking to the streets to demonstrate against the extradition bill.

Moments before the mobs swarmed into the legislature in Admiralty at 9pm and vandalised the premises, the father of two, whose younger child is three years old, called his family and told them he was safe and sound. He knew his wife was at home restlessly watching live television news about the rampage.

Lee got home at midnight after a 17-hour shift. He was furious because, as he explained, he could not believe he and his law enforcement colleagues retreated after spending such a long time guarding the complex, resulting in the mobs storming the chamber and taking it over under his watch.

But his wife said to him: "It doesn't matter. I am glad that the police did not battle with the mobs so that you can come home safe. I have been so worried that your boss would knock on our door and tell me you had fallen in the line of duty. Having no casualties is a good thing."

Two days later, having calmed down, that sentiment is foremost in Lee's mind. "We don't need to play a hard fight to win. The police can win by all means, anyway. My pistol carries 16 rounds. But what's the point? Do we really have to see blood and mass injuries?"

Hong Kong was hit by unprecedented chaos on the 22nd anniversary of the city's return to Chinese rule, as radical activists forced their way into the legislative building after an eight-hour siege that saw them use a cage trolley and metal poles to shatter the glass panels at its entrance. They had previously thrown lime powder at the police officers, which set off acrid fumes.

Eventually they broke into the main chamber, where they sprayed slogans on the walls, covered Hong Kong's official emblem with black paint and draped a British colonial flag over the Legco president's podium.

The police have been accused of deliberately withdrawing in an attempt to win public support and setting a trap for protesters.

Lee did not expect any of this when he started his shift on Monday morning. He knew it would be a long day, but not a hard battle. There was no meeting in the legislature, as it was a public holiday, so he was assigned to guard the government headquarters next door.

Police officers outside the Legislative Council the day after protesters stormed the chamber. Photo: Winson Wong alt=Police officers outside the Legislative Council the day after protesters stormed the chamber. Photo: Winson Wong

Lee thought it could be a relaxed morning inside the government headquarters, so he skipped breakfast and was looking forward to having lunch with his team in the afternoon.

But all that changed when 13 police officers were taken to hospital after being splashed with an unidentified liquid, believed to be drain cleaner, during clashes around the city's legislative and administrative centre. In response, Lee's supervisor asked everyone to get their anti-riot gear ready.

The protesters had not yet attempted to break into the buildings at that time. Lee, in helmet and shin guards, was eating spicy seafood cup noodles but, after only a few bites, he heard someone yell. "They are shattering the Legco's glass wall! Need help!"

Lee dropped his meal and rushed to the legislature. "There were many metal poles used to smash the glass walls from the outside. There was a cage trolley too. I don't know how many people were outside as there were many umbrellas between the walls and the protesters," said the detective, who was in the fourth row among the anti-riot police inside the building.

"I felt a chill in my spine. The crowd was so out of control. Two minutes ago, I was still eating noodles," Lee said. "I thought to myself, how come these people could be so blatant? Are we being surrounded already?"

This was the moment protesters threw lime powder through the crack in the glass wall, hitting the police. Lee and his men immediately put on gas masks, as they did not know what the smoke was and whether it was poisonous.

Protesters use a cage trolley to smash glass panels leading into the Legislative Council complex on July 1. Photo: Sam Tsang alt=Protesters use a cage trolley to smash glass panels leading into the Legislative Council complex on July 1. Photo: Sam Tsang

Lee went to look out of another glass panel, hoping to check how large the crowds were. But protesters pointed lasers at his eyes. Some even attempted to throw eggs, so he went back to his original spot.

"They were really like zombies. We tried to grab whatever weapons they poked in, including the trolley. A lawmaker stuck pieces of paper on the glass walls claiming they were peaceful and were not rioters. I was like " who are you kidding?" he said.

"But the mobs did not enter the building after they spent hours tearing down the glass walls. They eventually left in the evening. So we thought they were just bluffing us."

Lee took some rest and had pork rice for dinner around 8pm, but once again he could not finish his meal. He was deployed as the protesters tried to dismantle the metal fencing from outside the legislature.

The utter chaos prompted the Legco Secretariat to issue a red alert for the first time, evacuating the building of all non-essential staff.

"It was another group of zombies banging the gate with metal poles. At the same time, the security control room broke down. The light suddenly went off. Protesters threw smoke at us again," Lee said. "I started to fear. Someone could die if we did start a battle. I called my family and told them I was safe."

The Legislative Council sign covered by red paint and graffiti saying "[Chief Executive] Carrie Lam step down". Photo: Sam Tsang alt=The Legislative Council sign covered by red paint and graffiti saying "[Chief Executive] Carrie Lam step down". Photo: Sam Tsang

The 500 officers inside the legislature first thought of arresting whoever crawled into the building through the broken gate, but the officers had no idea what weapons they were carrying.

"What if they had petrol bombs, corrosive acid, knives or even lit a fire? We could not use anti-riot guns at short range, while tear gas and pepper spray could not be used in such a confined area," Lee said.

"If we pulled our defence line back, we were actually giving more room for protesters to enter. We did not know how many protesters were outside the building " not to mention the tens of thousands of people marching on the streets.

"Backup officers could not enter and help us. We would all be stuck and get hurt. The best way was to retreat. We counted our men so that we would not leave anyone behind."

Lee rushed back to the government headquarters with 500 other officers, where they watched television footage of the protesters trashing the legislature. Some of the police officers were so angry they threw their protective gear to the ground.

That was also when Lee ended his shift. "I was angry and my heart was saddened at that time. I uphold the rule of law as a policeman but I failed on that day. We lost without declaring a war. Up till now, I still have not read the news in detail about what happened that day. I do not want to see and recall it," he said.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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