Behind huge Hong Kong march, a dramatic show of public support

The passage of time and outbursts of violence can upend any protest movement. But Hong Kongers have been able to sustain a remarkable sense of unity around their pro-democracy demands.

By Ann Scott Tyson 

At the biggest pro-democracy protest since June, protesters show the palms of their hands as they call on the government Dec. 8, 2019, to meet all five of their key demands, including universal suffrage and an independent investigation of police.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters staged one of Hong Kong’s biggest marches since June on Sunday, in a dramatic sign of the strength of public support for the six-month-old campaign for greater democracy and autonomy from China.
The overwhelmingly peaceful protest was approved by police and saw an estimated 800,000 people surge through downtown Hong Kong, according to the organizer, the Civil Human Rights Front, the territory’s biggest pro-democracy group. 

The group also led marches of an estimated 1 million and 2 million people in June that helped push Hong Kong’s government to withdraw a controversial China extradition bill. 

Chanting “Five Demands, Not One Less,” protesters of all ages and walks of life raised their outstretched palms as the vast crowd spilled out of Victoria Park and slowly flowed down Hennessy Road and Queensway into Central, the heart of Hong Kong’s financial district. 

Parents carrying children and retirees holding umbrellas like parasols against the sun joined black-clad students wearing gas masks, as the nonviolent and more radical elements of protesters joined forces in a striking display of unity that analysts say is the hallmark of the movement.
“There is an ethic of solidarity … that encourages people to stay united,” says Francis Lee, director of the School of Journalism at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, one of a team of scholars surveying public opinion on the protests. 

Indeed, using protest art, banners, and chants, the crowd on Sunday articulated slogans that stressed their strong bonds.
“No derision. No division. No denunciation,” read one poster on display along the march route. “Contributing in our own ways, we traverse toward the same summit as one,” it said, showing a protester waving others onward and upward.
As many as 800,000 people participated in a peaceful march Dec. 8 down a major road on Hong Kong Island.

Polls show that about 70% of Hong Kong’s 7.4 million people are in favor of the pro-autonomy movement, according to Professor Lee’s research. 

The movement has lessened the gaps in political views between Hong Kong’s moderate, pro-democracy, and localist supporters, but has heightened polarization between those groups and the pro-establishment camp, which favors closer ties with Beijing, he says.
About 89% of Hong Kongers now believe that a combination of peaceful protests and radical tactics can achieve the best outcome, while 92% think that radical actions are understandable “when the government fails to listen,” a mid-September poll shows.
Protesters on Sunday included civil servants, teachers, and other professionals, who voiced deep disdain for how Hong Kong’s government, led by Chief Executive Carrie Lam, has handled the political crisis. 

Posters mocking Lam are mainstays of the protests, as her popularity has fallen to a record low.“I work for the government, but I don’t agree with the government,” said one middle-aged civil servant as he marched through the financial district, requesting anonymity because of his position.
One of the protesters’ main demands is to elect Hong Kong’s chief executive by universal suffrage, instead of through the current, Beijing-controlled selection process. 

Some 81% of people polled in October said they seek political reforms. 

Lam is viewed as beholden to Beijing, and prominent posters on Sunday depicted her in the embrace of Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.
While Lam has not achieved a political resolution to the crisis, she has ordered Hong Kong’s 30,000-strong police force to quell the unrest, leading to more than 6,000 arrests, the heavy use of tear gas and rubber bullets, and a few instances of firing live ammunition. 

Protesters have hurled Molotov cocktails, bricks, and arrows at police.
Yet despite an escalation of violence on both sides, polls show the majority of people blame the government and police, not the protesters. 

Trust in the police has dropped sharply since May, and more than half of Hong Kongers have “zero” confidence in the force, a November survey shows.“Hong Kong people are really tough,” says Brian Fong, a political scientist and former government official. 

“Despite the fact that over 6,000 have been arrested, and many have been persecuted, Hong Kong people still fight back. The momentum of the movement is still very strong,” he says.
Sunday’s mass protest unfolded largely without police presence or interference, apart from some tensions toward the end. 

Some marchers said they felt safe to attend because police approved the demonstration. 

“Because today is legal most people will come out,” says a teacher who identified himself only as Mr. T. 

“I’m not afraid of violence, but if it’s illegal we have fears of being arrested, even months later.”
Some protesters shed their masks for the rally, and seemed less worried about being photographed. 

At one point, they enthusiastically responded as a young girl with a loudspeaker led the sea of marchers in chanting: “Fight for freedom! Stand with Hong Kong!” 

As darkness fell, they lit the way with thousands of cellphone lights and sang Hong Kong’s unofficial anthem, “Glory to Hong Kong.”

Vox Populi

Nearly Two Million Take to Hong Kong's Streets in Peaceful Anti-Extradition Protest
by Lau Siu-fung

Protesters stand on Harcourt Road overlooking the Legislative Council during a rally in Hong Kong, in the latest opposition to a planned extradition law that has since morphed into a wider call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city, August 18, 2019.

More than a million people took to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday in another mass protest against plans to allow extradition to mainland China, organizers said.
Wielding umbrellas against the heavy rain, protesters packed out the city's Victoria Park and spilled out to fill several major highways in the surrounding area, with many marching as far as government headquarters in spite of a police ban, raising the now-familiar chant of "Go Hongkongers!"
Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations were also packed with crowds, according to live video streams, as tens of thousands more people tried to join the rally.
Rally organizers the Civil Human Rights Front said an estimated 1.7 million people turned out. 

The group also hit out a police decision to ban a full march from the park, saying that many more people were prevented from attending owing to the "unreasonable restrictions" imposed by police.
Group convenor Jimmy Sham said the march was about sending a strong message to the administration of chief executive Carrie Lam that the majority of people in Hong Kong favored peaceful and rational protest as a way to make their views known.
"Today, we wanted to tell Carrie Lam that Hong Kong people can do peaceful, rational and non-violent protest as well as put up a brave resistance," Sham said. 

"Today was all about the peaceful part, and asking for a response from Lam to our five demands."
The anti-extradition protests that have gripped the city since early June are making five key demands of Lam's administration: the formal withdrawal of planned amendments to laws that would allow extradition of alleged criminal suspects to face trial in Chinese courts; an amnesty for arrested protesters; an end to the description of protesters as rioters; an independent inquiry into police abuse of power; and fully democratic elections.
"Lam has continued to hide behind the police, and to use their violence as a way to suppress the demands of the people of Hong Kong," Sham said.
He said some protesters had only resorted to violence because Lam's administration has been ignoring peaceful demonstrations.

Civil disobedience
Cantopop star Denise Ho told the rally that the marchers had only set off from the park to ease the sheer pressure of the crowd.
"The police told us that we couldn't march, and that we'd have to do something else, and not leave Victoria Park," Ho said. 

"But there were just too many people today, so that's why everyone took to the streets."
"This kind of civil disobedience has persisted over several months in Hong Kong in spite of the authorities' attempt to extinguish it using everything they've got," she said. 

"They tried to make people too scared to come out, but it didn't work."
"Hong Kong people are still incredibly united, to the point where they come out even in this heavy downpour," Ho said.
A protester surnamed Cheung said the two most important demands for her were fully democratic elections to the city's Legislative Council (LegCo) and for the chief executive.
"I feel that our freedoms are being stripped away, and that the police ... won't even let us come out in protest over that," Cheung said.
"It's unreasonable to talk about supporting peaceful methods of protest if things have gotten to the point where we can't even go on a peaceful march."
A highschooler surnamed Lok said he hopes that the city's young people will boycott class come September, an idea that was shown to have widespread support in a recent poll of nearly 20,000 student.
"We want our school to respond positively to the five major demands ... as well as committing to provide support for all arrested students," Lok said.

Muted police presence
Police presence was muted for most of the day, with a noticeable absence of riot police, tear gas or rubber bullets, even when protesters spilled out onto Harcourt Road, a key site in the 2014 democracy movement after night fell.
Across the harbor in Kowloon's Mong Kok district, a group of protesters gathered outside the local police station, shouting angry slogans, flashing laser pointers and throwing eggs, but left shortly before a group of riot police showed up to clear some barricades on Nathan Road.
Former 2014 student leader Joshua Wong posted video to Twitter which showed a group of around 15 people clad in the black clothes that have marked out anti-extradition protesters in recent weeks, filing into a police station at the end of the protests at around midnight on Sunday.
"Lots of undercover officials that dress up & pretend as protesters with black t-shirt," Wong wrote via his Twitter account. 

"They were spotted by citizens when they went back to the Police Headquarter in the midnight."
The government said some "breaches of the peace" had occurred in spite of the majority of protesters behaving in a peaceful manner.
"A large number of protesters rushed to the roads and occupied the carriageways of Causeway Road and Hennessy Road after leaving the public meeting venue," it said in a statement after the rally.
Protesters also blocked roads in Western and Central districts, Admiralty, Wanchai, Causeway Bay and Tin Hau.
In response to public anger over police violence, the statement said that the police had exercised restraint, tolerance and patience.
"Only when there were violent acts or illegal behaviors which endangered the safety of people at scene, police would stop them by proportionate use of force," saying the public was being "unfair" to the police force.

Hong Kong pro-democracy July 1 march takes over streets on 20th anniversary of city’s handover

Thousands join annual march from Victoria Park, which kicked off a few hours after Xi Jinping ended his visit to the city, but rain causes cancellation of rally
By Ng Kang-chung, Emily Tsang, Rachel Blundy, Julia Hollingsworth, Elizabeth Cheung, Jane Li, Nikki Sun

The march marks the anniversary of the city’s handover to Chinese rule. 

Protesters were assaulted by police at July 1 march

Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters took part in a march on Saturday afternoon marking the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from British to Chinese rule.
Organisers said 60,000 had taken part, but the police estimate – which tends to be lower than organisers’ – was not available.
Au Nok-hin, convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, which organises the annual march, conceded that turnout this year had been “lower that what we announced in the past few years”.
“But I appreciate those who took to the streets today as protesters nowadays are facing more risks than before, “ he said, adding that rain had affected turnout.
Au described the freedom of assembly in Hong Kong as being under threat, pointing to the detention of a dozen pro-democracy activists for staging a rally during the just-concluded three-day visit of Xi Jinping.
Bad weather was partly to blame for turnout not hitting the 100,000 predicted by organisers, who had to abort a planned public rally outside government headquarters at Tamar Park, the end of the route.
Rain-soaked marchers dispersed quickly after arriving, swamping the concourse of Admiralty MTR station. 

The last of the protesters reached Tamar at 7.10pm.
The 3km march started at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.
Participants set off shortly after 3pm, two hours after Xi concluded his three-day visit to the city.
At 3.10pm, Lam Wing-kee, one of the five Causeway Bay booksellers controversially taken into mainland custody in 2015, made a speech on the stage.
Banners laid out for the pro-democracy march

A coalition of pro-Beijing groups also held events in the park, while other opponents of the pan-democrats swamped the alleys nearby, condemning the bloc and “anti-China elements”.
Au said more and more people were getting frustrated by the increasing influence of Beijing on the city, which is supposed to enjoy a high degree of autonomy.
Au said that growing concerns over jailed mainland dissident Liu Xiaobo and Beijing’s recent claim that the Sino-British Joint Declaration “no longer has any realistic meaning” could spark more people to take to the streets.
He was referring to the remarks of the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman who on Friday said the joint declaration of 1984 no longer had practical significance or binding force on Beijing.
Liu, who received the Nobel Peace Prize for his writings promoting political reform in China, was recently granted parole to be treated for late-stage liver cancer.
The pro-democracy marches, which have been held annually on handover day since 1997, became increasingly significant in 2003 after half a million protesters came out against a government plan to introduce an antisubversion law.
Turnout was lowest in 2005 when only 21,000 people took part, according to the organisers.
The front had used pitches at Victoria Park, which can accommodate tens of thousands of people, as the starting point for marches since 2004.
But this year it was forced to kick things off on the park’s lawn, because the six football pitches were booked by the Hong Kong Celebrations Association, a group of about 40 pro-Beijing groups and business chambers.
Regular marchers looked confused by the switch when they entered the park as usual.
Volunteers and marshals soon directed them to make a 5-minute walk to the starting point.
Ms Kwan carried a sign with a message for the government. 

One of the marchers was 70-year-old poet Ms Kwan, who said she’d been going to the annual march since 1997.
“I don’t understand politics, and don’t really want to comment on it,” she said. 

“But how can I not come out, seeing my beloved city shrinking in terms of freedom of speech?”
She said it had taken her an hour to make the Chinese calligraphy board she carried, which had a message for the government.
“We are not begging for sympathy but seeking justice. One country, two systems has been cheating Hongkongers for 20 years,” one of the lines read.
Hongkonger Wong Ting-kwok, 67, said he had also been coming to the march for 20 years. 

He said he continued to come out every year to remind people that the mainland government made promises about the city’s autonomy, but he said the political situation was getting worse.
“In the beginning we did have hope for change,” he said, adding that those hopes had faded because of the situation on the mainland.

Isaac Cheng, of Demosisto, was also on the march.
He said he did not expect Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to do much for Hong Kong, saying she had achieved little in her previous political roles.
Isaac Cheng Ka-long, 17, who is a standing committee member for political party Demosisto, said he joined the pro-democracy movement a year ago because he wanted universal suffrage.
“When Hong Kong has a more democratic situation, everyone will be more willing to listen to the voices of our people,” he said. 

“Some people think we are just creating chaos for Hong Kong, but actually we are not. We want to gain universal suffrage.”

Singers Anthony Wong and Denise Ho were at the march.
There were also some famous faces on the route.
Well-known Canto-pop singer and democracy advocate Denise Ho Wan-sze said it was her sixth year of going to the march.
Also an LGBT rights campaigner, Ho said she had been trying to push the government to pass several bills on the issue since 2012, but with little progress.
“I wish Carrie Lam to bring some change to the situation, but it seems not very likely,” she said.
Ho was joined by 55-year-old singer Anthony Wong Yiu-Ming, also a vocal LGBT rights activist.
He said he had been disappointed by Xi’s visit.

Gregory Wong Chung-yiu.
“Xi only talked to those politicians from the establishment camp, and tycoons, but not those from the grassroots communities in Hong Kong. I was really disappointed by that,” he said.
And actor Gregory Wong Chung-yiu was seen at the end of the throng, at the junction of Hennessy Road and Fleming Road.
“I think the July 1 march is something Hongkongers should do,” he said.
“We just want to tell the others we want more self-determination. I hope the function of Legislative Council will not worsen.”
Mei Lee, 40, and administrative worker, and Leo Chim, who is 39 and works at a digital agency, are a married couple. 

They said they had been at the march for the past few years.
“Many Hong Kong people are tired of politics and think there’s no use in coming out today,” Chim said.
“The government is arranging other celebration events to cover our voice. Our voice will become smaller and smaller in the future.”