It has been one of the biggest protests of the democracy movement in Hong Kong for years: Tens of thousands have demonstrated against government plans to allow deliveries to mainland China in the future.
The pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong has mobilized tens of thousands of people to take to the streets against a planned government bill that will allow deliveries to mainland China in the future. The organizers spoke of 130,000 participants, the police counted 22,000 people on the streets – as many as in years.
Many people wore umbrellas as a symbol of resistance and as a sign of solidarity with the 2014 Democracy Movement leaders, who were sentenced to jail terms of up to 16 months on Wednesday. According to observers, the outrage over the convictions caused a particularly large influx of protesters.
There have been protests against the government’s extradition plans for a long time. The law would allow the authorities to extradite suspected criminals at the request of Chinese authorities. So far, Hong Kong has refrained from doing so because the People’s Republic’s justice system is not independent, does not conform to international standards, and the use of the death penalty is widespread.
Earlier this year, however, the city government announced that it would allow deliveries to mainland China, Macau and Taiwan. Hong Kong’s former British governor-general said societies that believed in the rule of law would not make such agreements with those who did not. Businessmen and lawyers in Hong Kong fear that the city risks its position as an international financial center when local residents have to fear extradition to the Chinese authorities.
„One country, two systems“ – that was the promise
The former British Crown Colony Hong Kong had been returned to China in 1997. Under the formula „One Land, Two Systems,“ Beijing promised its 50 years of far-reaching internal autonomy. In Hong Kong, therefore, fundamental rights that are denied to the citizens of the People’s Republic, such as freedom of expression and freedom of the press, apply. However, the opposition accuses Beijing of interfering increasingly in Hong Kong’s affairs, violating the autonomy agreements.
