Hong Kong police have imposed social distancing fines on two young siblings, including a 12-year-old girl whom officers tackled to the ground at a protest scene, but the duo have decided to contest the penalties.

The girl and her brother lived in the same household and could prove that they were walking about in Mong Kok to buy art supplies on the day of the protest, so they should be exempt from social distancing rules, Yau Tsim Mong district councilor Andy Yu said.

During the said protest on Sept. 6, a police officer tackled the 12-year-old and pinned her to the ground with his knee. Police later said she was stopped because of “suspicious behavior.” Each of the siblings was fined HK$2,000 (US$260) under social distancing rules in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Brother and sister wrote to the police last week to challenge their fines and are awaiting a reply. If the police do not rescind the penalties, the siblings may need to make their case in court.

Their mother hoped to relay a message of criticism to Commissioner of Police Chris Tang for blindly supporting the actions of his subordinates, Yu cited her as saying.

“My daughter looks fine, but I don’t know how long it would take to heal her trauma,” she said, according to Yu.

In recent months, Hong Kong police have routinely used social distancing fines to deter protesters from congregating in public places. A man surnamed Ng was fined at Cityplaza shopping mall in Taikoo Shing in May along with two of his family members and a stranger.

Ng later successfully reversed his penalty by pointing out that the law at the time only criminalized public gatherings of eight people or more, and that his family was merely passing through the mall. The police rescinded the fine in August.

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