Police cracked down against Hongkongers gathering on Monday to commemorate the victims of a police attack at the Prince Edward subway station, on the 15-month anniversary of the violent incident.

Dozens of people on Monday carried white flowers as they attempted to walk through the station to the B1 exit, or raised their hands with palms open to signal the protest slogan “five demands, not one less.” The slogan was widely used during the widespread anti-extradition bill protests last year.

Some victims were allegedly killed during the police assault on the subway station on Aug. 31 last year, but that has not been confirmed.

On Monday police stepped up security measures to prevent demonstrations, using about 20 uniformed officers to cordon off areas around the exits. Police broadcast warnings that no more than four people should gather together under COVID-19 restrictions. Officers also removed flowers left outside the station by passersby in memory of the victims.

Police earlier announced that they would arrest people who placed flowers at the subway exit, which is adjacent to the Mong Kok Police Station. At least three people who placed flowers there on Monday were fined for littering, according to Yau Tsim Mong District Councillor Ben Lam, who was at the scene.

A man who gave his name as Jackie told Apple Daily that he has been paying a silent tribute outside the station at the end of every month. He said the stepped-up police action would not make him forget what happened inside the Prince Edward station on Aug. 31 last year, and during other suppressions of pro-democracy Hongkongers.

During the original attack on the evening of Aug. 31, video clips showed armored riot police storming into the station, using batons and pepper spray to attack passengers inside train compartments. The anti-extradition bill protests were at their height at that time.

Police subsequently closed off the station, expelling all reporters while they investigated the scene. Some Hongkongers believe the attack caused some deaths, a claim the police dismiss as rumors.

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