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Knife attack on Hong Kong lawmaker Junius Ho sparks security concerns ahead of district council elections
- Man arrested over assault, with police investigating whether he was bullied online or thought attack ‘could make him a hero’
- Polarising legislator who has become hate figure among Hong Kong protesters leapfrogs more than 12 others on hospital waiting list
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A knife attack on a pro-Beijing lawmaker has ignited a debate over security during Hong Kong’s coming district council elections, with speculation the polling day could be postponed.
Video footage circulated online showed the moment Junius Ho Kwan-yiu was stabbed during a campaign event in Tuen Mun on Wednesday morning. His allies condemned the attack and complained the city’s unrest had put them in an unfair position ahead of the elections.
But the opposition camp countered it would be unfair if the government chose the “nuclear option” of cancelling the elections, to be held on November 24.
Ho has become a hate figure for the pro-democracy movement in the city after he was filmed shaking hands with men believed to have been involved in a vicious attack on protesters and passengers at Yuen Long MTR station on July 21.
His offices in two districts were subsequently vandalised and his parents graves were desecrated.
Even when the victim, Ho managed to attract further controversy when it emerged he leapfrogged more than a dozen others on the waiting list for surgery.
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