Video shows five officers beating cornered Hong Kong man

Police say they were using ‘necessary force’ to arrest man

A video circulating on social media shows a man in Hong Kong being beaten by five officers.

The man is first hit from behind before each officer begins repeatedly striking the man with batons. He is cornered and pushed to the floor before four more officers arrive at the scene.

One onlooker is heard saying “he didn’t even do anything”. According to the Hong Kong Police Force, the man was arrested for possessing an offensive weapon, wielding a metal rod and threatening bank staff. He allegedly fled the scene at around 5pm on 5 March before being found nearby.

Police said the man refused to surrender the weapon despite a warning and he was arrested using “necessary force”.

This article was amended on 11.03.2021 to remove references to the man being a ‘protestor’, as claims to that effect were from social media and not corroborated.