Photo: Xinhua

Hong Kong police on Friday warned that indulging in criminal activities will invite charges that might ruin one’s reputation for life. The fresh warnings were issued after the number of students detained for violating the law amounted to 207 in September. 

Between June and August, 257 students were arrested for breaching the city’s law.

“There is an obvious surge in the percentage of detained students who violated the law,” said Kong Wing-cheung, Senior Superintendent of Police Public Relations Branch, as among the total 1, 596 detainees, 38 percent are students. 

"Participating in illegal activities is not a cosplay,” the police officer said at a press conference. Hong Kong rioters also took to social media to glorify their violence and even criminal activity, as they hailed those involved in arson and other criminal attacks on police as the “magicians.”

“Having a criminal record will affect the rest of your whole life,” Kong warned. “Young people should really think twice before committing a crime in an impulse.”

Crimes committed by young students include riots, arson attacks, and possession of offensive weapons among others, said the officer. 

Radical protesters also fuse chemical elements with petrol bombs to flame the fire. Police warned using corrosive elements to harm others also amounts to serious criminal charges. 

After Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor concluded her first community dialogue at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wanchai on Thursday night, swarms of protesters blocked the exit of the stadium to stall Lam’s departure. She was reportedly leaving the venue around 1:30 am on Friday, nearly four hours after the dialogue ended.

Protesters were issued a no-objection letter by the police for a 1,000-strong demonstration on Saturday at Tamar Park, next to the Hong Kong Central Government building. However, it is estimated the number of protesters could exceed the permitted 1,000.