This archive report was first published on 21 October 2019.
On October 20, 2019, a water cannon truck sprayed the entrance to the Kowloon Mosque, Hong Kong's largest mosque, with a bright blue dye, causing widespread anger among local Muslims and protesters.
The blue dye, often mixed with an irritant, is used by police to identify protesters, but it has frequently left streets and buildings daubed in a garish color.
Video footage showed the truck spraying a group of journalists and bystanders, including half a dozen people who were not protesters, outside the mosque during confrontations with protesters.
Police initially denied responsibility, releasing a statement saying the mosque was hit by mistake, but later apologized for the incident.
On October 21, 2019, Chief Executive Carrie Lam and police chief Stephen Lo visited the mosque, surrounded by security guards, and apologized for the water cannon incident.
The mosque's representatives accepted the apology and thanked worshippers and Hong Kongers who cleaned the mosque after the incident.
The Kowloon Mosque was built in the late 19th century to serve Muslim soldiers from British-ruled India and was rebuilt in the early 1980s.
