A Victorian Police station has raised the Chinese flag to honour the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s rule.
Footage of the ceremony, which was held at Box Hill station on Tuesday, was uploaded to social media by concerned locals demanding answers.
Local councillor Blair Barker slammed the officers’ actions, calling them offensive to the area’s Taiwanese, Tibetan, Hong Kong, and Uyghur communities.
“We need to be cautious about supporting a foreign regime that does not support our democratic values and principles such as rule of law,” Barker told 7News.
“I would have thought our own police force would be a little more judicious when it comes to associating themselves with authoritarian foreign states that have a very different approach to policing its citizens,” he added.
A Victorian Police spokeswoman defended the station’s actions, saying in a statement: “The flag-raising ceremony honours the local police station’s strong relationship with the local Chinese community, retailers and local business stakeholders.”
Neil Mitchell of 3AW said, “It’s a police station honouring a police state.”
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