Hong Kong police involvement in Winnipeg games decried

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/08/2023 (820 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Allowing members of the Hong Kong Police Force to compete at the 2023 World Police and Fire Games is an affront to human rights and a security concern for refugees in Winnipeg, advocates say.

“We feel a mixture of anger and shock,” said Brian Cheung, a founding member of Winnipeg Hong Kong Concern.

On Monday, the group released a joint statement, alongside five other Hong Kong Canadian advocacy organizations, expressing dismay about the police force’s participation in the games.

The groups estimate around 300 members of the Hong Kong police are participating in the 10-day, Olympic-style event.

Several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the United Nations, have raised concerns about alleged police brutality perpetrated in Hong Kong in 2019. At the time, the Chinese special administrative region was embroiled in public protests in response to legislation which sought to change Hong Kong’s extradition process.

In July, Hong Kong authorities issued warrants for eight pro-democracy activists, offering cash bounties for aid in their arrests. At least one identified in the warrants is now living in Canada.

“Canada condemns the Hong Kong authorities’ issuance of arrest warrants and international bounties for eight pro-democracy advocates living overseas, which serve as an attempt to silence individuals exercising their fundamental human right to freedom of expression,” a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said Tuesday.

“We reiterate that the Hong Kong authorities have no jurisdiction in applying the law within our borders. Canada strongly opposes any attempt to intimidate or silence anyone residing in Canada.”

Cheung called Ottawa hypocritical for speaking out against the action while simultaneously inviting Hong Kong police into the country.

“Now our government is allowing those police officers to come in to Canada and walk freely. It’s ridiculous,” he said Tuesday.

“A lot of people are scared right now, a lot of people are angry, and a lot of people are urged to ask the government: ‘Is Canada still safe for us?’”

Cheung fears Hong Kong police officers may gather intelligence on pro-democracy advocates in Winnipeg and seek to persecute them if they return to China.

According to Global Affairs Canada, the federal government is currently enforcing sanctions against 24 countries, including China, where they have been enacted “in response to the gross and systematic human rights violations” against the Uyghur ethnic group.

Several Conservative politicians have taken to social media to express their frustration.

“The Liberal government’s decision to allow 287 members of the Hong Kong Police Force to enter Canada and compete in the World Police and Fire Games is deeply disappointing,” Raquel Dancho (Kildonan—St. Paul) posted on Twitter.

“Their participation in this year’s competition will distract from the achievements of service members from Canada and our democratic allies.”

Fellow Conservative MP Michael Barrett issued a similar statement, describing the Hong Kong Police Force as a “thug regime.”

Roughly 8,500 first responders and law enforcement officers from 70 countries are attending the games in Winnipeg.

Mike Edwards, chief operating officer of the games, told media earlier this week several countries were not permitted to register for the event, including Russia, Belarus and Iran.

Edwards said the organization follows guidelines from the federal government regarding who to permit at the event.

The games continue through Aug. 6.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca