A pro-Beijing lawmaker in Hong Kong was stabbed during a campaign event by a man posing as a supporter.
Junius Ho, a well-known supporter of the Chinese Communist Party who serves as an elected member of Tuen Mun District Council, was approached by a man who handed him a bouquet of yellow flowers before stabbing him in the chest. Ho, 57, sustained a wound to his upper chest but was not seriously injured.
Ho and bystanders tackled the knife-wielding attacker to the ground as he continued to shout insults at Ho including “Human scum.” Pro-democracy protests have continued in Hong Kong since early summer when legislation was introduced that would allow Hong Kong citizens to be extradited to mainland China. Though the bills were eventually withdrawn, protests over violent confrontations with police and other action by the Communist Chinese government continued.
Ho made headlines in 2017 for saying that people advocating for Hong Kong independence should be killed “without mercy,” and that it was “not a big deal to kill pigs or dogs.” After receiving backlash for the remarks, Ho defended his choice of words as a response to the threat of war. “If we’re talking about Hong Kong independence, that means war. What’s wrong with killing enemies in a war?”
