Hong Kong and Mainland tensions rise after urination incident

Tensions between mainlanders and Hong Kong citizens are at an all time high following yet another scandal, where a couple allowed their young child to urinate in the streets of Mong Kok in April this year. A video of the incident was uploaded by a passer-by, which showed a mainland couple allowing their toddler to urinate and defecate on a busy Mong Kok street. In the video, the parents were recorded telling the crowd of onlookers: "The child was going to pee in his pants, what do you want me do?"

A fight then occurred as the parents tried to take the memory card from the camera of the man filming the scandal. Several Hong Kong forums and newspapers have criticised those who took the pictures of the incident as being as “uncivilized” as the toddler's parents. The incident sparked fierce debate on several popular media outlets, with some Hong Kongers supporting the victims of the video, and some condemning the practices of Mainland Chinese parents.

As quoted from the SCMP, Solicitor Thomas So Shiu-tsung said Articles 290 and 291 of the mainland criminal code outlawed "assembling a crowd to disrupt social order" and "assembling a crowd to disrupt order of public places". Article 7, meanwhile, allowed the state to punish citizens who commit such offences outside the mainland. "It depends on the size of the activity," So said. "If there are only a couple of people turning up, it is unlikely that amounts to an offence."

An article in the People's Daily questioned whether the bystanders “had acted properly”, stating that there is a need for "mutual civilization and understanding" between Chinese tourists and Hong Kongers.