The Public Security Police (PSP) said on Thursday they have decided not to allow an assembly planned for next Monday in Largo do Senado – a “standing in silence” gathering against alleged police violence in Hong Kong, adding that the police have made the decision in line with the local Assembly and Demonstration Law, as the planned assembly “aimed to express support for the ongoing illegal acts by violent protestors” in the neighbouring special administrative region.
PSP spokesman Wong Wai Chon made the remarks during Thursday’s regular police press conference.
According to local media reports on Wednesday, an unidentified individual planned to hold an assembly against alleged police violence in Hong Kong at 8 p.m. next Monday in Largo do Senado.
According to the local media reports, a poster by the organiser urging residents to participate in the assembly started to circulate on the Internet on Wednesday. The poster called for participants to “stand in silence” in a “legal, rational and peaceful” way in the city’s main square against the alleged “use of violence by the Hong Kong police towards residents”. The local media reports did not say whether the organiser is a local or Hong Kong resident.
The Public Security Police told local media on Wednesday that a local resident had notified the police earlier that day of a planned assembly at 8 p.m. next Monday in Largo do Senado. The police said at the time that they were assessing the planned assembly and would inform the organiser of their decision on whether to allow the assembly to go ahead.
According to the law regulating assemblies and demonstrations, groups of individuals who plan to hold an assembly or a demonstration are required to inform the Public Security Police by letter between three and 15 working days in advance.
According to the same law, the Public Security Police can prohibit “an assembly or demonstration that intend to violate the law” from taking place. If the police decide not to allow the assembly or demonstration to be carried out, the police are required to inform the organiser about the decision by letter up to 48 hours before the planned time of the assembly or demonstration.
During Thursday’s press conference, Wong said that the police have made the decision based on the ongoing situation in Hong Kong. Wong said that some radical protestors in Hong Kong have been violating the law there, causing serious impact on social order and the rule of law there.
‘Supporting illegal activities in HK’
Wong said that the police have assessed the assembly planned for next Monday and that the assessment showed that the organisation of the planned assembly aimed to voice support for the ongoing illegal activities in Hong Kong. Wong said that the organisation of the planned assembly would possibly cause some residents in Macau to copy the modus operandi of the violent protestors in Hong Kong, and then express their views and demands in a way that violates Macau’s law.
According to the Macau Post Daily, Wong pointed out that residents who have violated the Assembly and Demonstration Law – i.e. by holding an assembly or demonstration banned by the police – will face the penalties that are the same as those for the crime of aggravated disobedience as stated in the Macau Penal Code, which is punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to two years.
