It all happened yesterday around 7.20 local time in the Sai Wan Ho neighborhood, north-east of Hong Kong. Here, some people had gathered for yet another day of protests and already in the early hours of the morning they had blocked roads. Yesterday's protest was announced following the death of a boy who died last week while fleeing from police tear gas.
The two young past pupils, along with a dozen other people, were blocking a road junction. A policeman immediately approached the group and in a few seconds a fight broke out.
Although the demonstrators were unarmed, the policeman fired three pistol shots, the first of which hit the young Salesian past pupil in the abdomen. The other past pupil was instead pushed to the ground and arrested.
The young man hit by the bullet was promptly taken to the hospital, where he underwent a delicate operation. He is still in intensive care, in critical conditions.
The attack was recorded by a journalist, who then released the video in which the policeman is seen shooting the unarmed young man; the video soon went viral on all the main international news channels.
The same evening, the Salesians in Hong Kong organized a prayer vigil for all the wounded and in particular for the two past pupils. Furthermore, the same day, the Salesians of the "Mary Help of Christians" Province based in Hong Kong issued an official declaration, condemning the violence used by the police against the protesters and calling everyone to rationality and non-violence.
"May God bless Hong Kong," they conclude, "and give us peace, joy and freedom."
