Photo: Li Qiaoyi/GT

Hong Kong police sergeant Lau Chak-kei, who has been praised as hero on Chinese Twitter-like Weibo, is considering moving to the Chinese mainland for the safety of his family, after he became a major target of black-clad rioters in his hometown. 

Lau is one of 10 Hong Kong police officers who have been invited to attend celebrations for the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China in Beijing on October 1. He has also become a cyber star on Weibo, as a growing number of netizens voiced their support for him and other Hong Kong police officers. Many said they think Hong Kong police have unfairly had their reputations tarnished during their haldling of months of anti-government protests. Netizens say Hong Kong police have reacted bravely and have been highly restrained, countering groundless allegations of police brutality.

"My wife and I had planned to move to the mainland after retirement… Considering Hong Kong's social unrest, we may make the move sooner," Lau told the Global Times on Tuesday. He is being pushed to leave Hong Kong for the sake of his children's safety and access to better education, the sergeant said. 

Like many thousands of Hong Kong police officers, Lau and his family's personal information has been leaked online, and radical protesters have sent him hate messages and even death threats. 

Hong Kong police have been caught in the middle of often illegal, violent protests, and rioters have repeatedly thrown Molotov cocktails and other dangerous objects at frontline officers, causing serious injuries. 

When Lau raised a shotgun at the Kwai Chung police station on July 30, he was surrounded by a group of black-clad protesters who had attacked him with umbrellas, batons and other objects. However, Western media and biased local media only used the image of him pointing the gun at so-called "peaceful protesters," picturing him as a brutal repressor. 

The full story behind the scene shows a vastly different situation, and his brave behavior has been widely praised in the mainland. Netizens have sent countless messages of support to Lau and other officers faced with the danger of dealing with rioters. 

"As we prepare for the celebration, two of our mainland friends showed us around a mainland city to take a look at housing and schools," Lau's wife said in a recent Weibo post. 

The couple was also surprised by the many conveniences of living in the mainland, for example, the online payment. "We [Hong Kong people] are like the frog in the well."

A post about Lau's family considering moving to live in the mainland was one of the most viewed on Tuesday morning with many netizens supporting the plan. "1.4 billion Chinese people are supporting you and are your firm back-up!" said a blogger Shadiao Qushi with 194,000 followers. 

Carrie Lam, chief executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, said Hong Kong police have endured extreme pressure, and she will continue supporting police efforts in law enforcement.