Photo: Xinhua

Observers said an incident in which a pregnant woman was "pushed down" at an illegal assembly in Hong Kong on Monday night could be another "staged event" directed by the opposition camp to smear local police, which is their old trick.

More than 100 people gathered illegally at the Prince Edward MTR station and Mong Kok on Monday night, exactly one year after the Prince Edward MTR station riot. At least 14 people had been arrested on suspicion of illegal assembly, disturbing public order and attacking police at the assembly as of 11 pm on Monday, the Hong Kong Police Force said in a Facebook post.  

Amid the chaos, a pregnant woman and her husband were at the rally. A video circulating online shows that the police tried to detain the husband but the man encircled the pregnant woman with his arm, trying to resist arrest and dragging down the woman. 

A Hong Kong-based source close to the police operation told the Global Times that the husband kept provoking, shouting at and abusing the police officers. 

The source noted that luckily, the woman's condition was found to be normal after medical checks.

The Hong Kong police published a notice late on Monday expressing concern for the woman.

According to the notice, at around 10 pm, protestors gathered in groups and chanted slogans in Mong Kok. Despite repeated warnings from the police, some refused to leave and officers effected dispersal. 

The police noted that they were "highly concerned about this case and expressed concern for the pregnant woman, who was affected during the chaotic situation at the protest site." Police officers were deployed to accompany the woman and her family to the hospital and render all necessary assistance. 

However, foreign media and other local infamous media outlets such as Apple Daily accused the police of forcing the pregnant woman to kneel, smearing the police with claims of brutal law enforcement and violations of human rights.

The source identified the couple as members of Hong Kong opposition camps, and the pregnant woman as a member of the pan-democratic Civic Party. 

Observers of Hong Kong affairs said local opposition camps have long played tricks such as arranging for elderly people to stand between the protesters and police officers to obstruct law enforcement, which can evoke sympathy among members of the public and smear the Hong Kong police.

The pregnant woman's case soon made the rounds on social media. 

Some netizens who watched the video featuring the incident pointed out that the incident would more likely be a "staged event" directed by the opposition camp than an accident, providing good fodder for foreign media to accuse the Hong Kong police.