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PART IV THE MEASURES TAKEN TO DEAL WITH THE DISTURBANCES
this action was based have already been described in Part III Chapter 1. This was the first peaceful demonstration to have been experienced in Hong Kong and it is understandable that the direction which it would take was likely to be as unknown to the police as it was to the demonstrators.
225. All the evidence indicates that the police tolerated the procession in a fair and reasonable manner and that only when events showed signs of getting out of hand did they intervene. No doubt, the demonstration might have been stopped at the Star Ferry before it moved off for the first time or after the speeches by LO Kei and RAGGENSACK and before the second march, but there was always the danger that this action might only have precipitated the events which followed, and we have no criticism now to make of the police action in permitting the demonstration to continue as far as it did.
226. Recurrence of demonstrations on 6th April. The precautions taken by the Police, in the early hours of the morning of April 6th after the demonstration march, have been described in Part III Chapter 2. The evident reluctance of many of the young demonstrators to keep the peace and to obey police orders were, in our opinion, sufficient justification for the precautionary measures taken.
227. This justification was enhanced by the general public mood of excitement and anticipation; by the recurrence of demonstrations at the Star Ferry concourses in Kowloon and Hong Kong on the afternoon of April 6th; by the events after the arrest of the demonstrator in Kowloon, which followed a similar pattern to that after SO's arrest; and by the reports received about demonstrations to be held in Kowloon that evening.
228. As a result, the relevant police officers were alerted but orders remained to observe and not to intervene unless a breach of the peace was threatened. In accordance with these orders, D.S. Yau Ma Tei dealt very tolerantly with the de monstrators who arrived from Hong Kong at Jordan Road (para. 130) and D.S. Sham Shui Po in the same manner with the demonstrators who arrived from Hong Kong at the Sham Shui Po ferry pier (para. 134). A procession first seen at the Star Ferry Kowloon at approximately 8 p.m. and later observed marching up Nathan Road to Mong Kok and back to the Star Ferry was similarly tolerated, and attracted little or no attention.
229. The situation changed rapidly, however, with the crowd marching on Yau Ma Tei Police Station, the incident in Nathan Road and the subsequent out- burst of violence at Public Square Street.
The Riots
230. Riot Suppression 6/7th April. Soon after 10.00 p.m., Nathan Road between Waterloo Road in the North and Austin Road in the South was milling with people, traffic was held up and stones were being thrown at police, at buses