In Hong Kong today, despite a ban on demonstrations and the cancellation of a mass demonstration, thousands of people have gathered for new protests. The black T-shirts people gathered at a sports ground in the center of the Chinese Special Administrative Region.
Some also ran through the surrounding streets. The police had previously built new barriers in front of the Chinese Government Liaison Office and posted water cannons in the streets.
In Hong Kong, there have been mass demonstrations for more democracy and a growing influence of Beijing for three months. There had been violent clashes last weekend. Among other things, the police used water cannons against the demonstrators. For the first time since the protests began, a policeman fired a shot.
Protest leader arrested
Immediately before planned new protests today on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the umbrella movement in 2014, the authorities yesterday also massively attacked the activists: The police took the protest leaders Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow and at least three other well-known activists and three of the democracy movement related deputies. They were subsequently released on bail.
In the face of pressure, the organizers canceled a mass demonstration planned for today, which had already been banned by police on Thursday. But they announced other actions. To avoid the ban on demonstrations, activists called for religious gatherings, among others: many demonstrators today had crosses and sang „Hallelujah“.
79-day protests 2014
Exactly five years ago, the Chinese government decided to ban political reform in Hong Kong. This decision triggered the umbrella movement in 2014. Already at that time, today’s 22-year-old Wong had led the 79-day protests.
Beijing had granted the former British Crown Colony, at the 1997 takeover under the principle of „one country, two systems“, at least 50 years of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of the press. According to the demonstrators, this assurance is being gradually eroded by Beijing, which they are now protesting. The cause for the protests was a extradition law, which provided for transfers of suspects to mainland China, but has since been stopped.
