The Hong Kong police have been criticized for flip-flopping over how officers tackled and pinned to the ground a 12-year-old girl during anti-government protests earlier this month.

The controversial incident took place in Mong Kok on Sept. 6 as police were searching bystanders in the area during a clearance operation.

The force has been widely condemned for using excessive force in the incident, not least by several children’s rights groups.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, district councillor Andy Yu said that police – in response to follow-up questions from his office – told him that during the search, the young girl suddenly started running. That “suspicious” action made it necessary for police at the scene to use “minimum necessary force to stop her”, they said.

Once it was learned the girl was only 12, police at the scene immediately arranged for a female police officer to “comfort and care” for her, according to the latest police line, cited by Yu.

But Yu pointed out that on Sept. 7, the police interpretation of the events was that the girl “suddenly ran away in a suspicious manner. Officers, therefore, chased and subdued her with use of minimum necessary force.”

In their most recent explanation, the police simply changed “subdued” to “stopped”.

“The police lie, explain, then change their explanation again,” Yu said. “Knowing how to point at a deer and call it a horse is the minimum necessary job requirement for joining the police.”

Yu said he had enquired with the girl’s mother and she did not agree with the police’s explanation of using minimum necessary force.

The mother also refuted the assertion that police had comforted or consoled her children at all. Instead, she said, they chastised and accused her son of bringing his sister out on a protest with him.

The siblings were in Yau Ma Tei, near their home, to buy art supplies for class but could not pass through due to a police cordon. The young girl got frightened by the police searches and ran, according to the family.

Police did not respond to Apple Daily enquiries by press time.

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