Hong Kong governor apologized to Muslims after riot police fired water cannons at a mosque as they dispersed anti-government demonstrations Sunday evening.
Governor Kari Lam and Hong Kong police chief visited the Kowloon mosque on Monday where they met leaders of the Muslim community and apologized.
The Kowloon District Mosque is one of Hong Kong's most important religious landmarks. Officials are trying to avoid any unpleasant consequences of the incident.
While a government statement confirmed that the firing of water cannons at the mosque was not intentional, an eyewitness said it seemed deliberate, the Associated Press reported. The incident sparked a protest by the local Muslim community, which called for respect for the sanctity of places of worship.
According to a videotape of the incident released by lawmaker Jeremy Tam, a Hong Kong police fire truck suddenly sprinkled a blue liquid next to the mosque on people standing in front of it.
"Our mosque was not damaged. But they should not have done so. They apologized and we accepted," said Saeeduddin, honorary secretary of the Hong Kong Islamic Society Fund.
Hong Kong, the former British colony, has been in its worst political crisis since its return to China in 1997.
Popular protests have erupted against the attempt by the government of Chief Executive Kari Lam to pass a bill to extradite wanted men to China.
Under pressure from protests and the political crisis, Lam officially announced the withdrawal of the bill, but demonstrators continued their protests to demand other demands.
New demands include an independent investigation into allegations of excessive violence by police during protests, unconditional release of detainees, non-labeling of protests as riots, and direct elections for the city's chief executive.