Hong Kong

Chinese General: Hong Kong Protest Attempted Color Revolution

March 7, 2015 Nectar Gan and Stuart Lau, www.scmp.com Resist! China, Hong Kong

The Occupy protests were “an orchestrated Hong Kong version of a colour revolution” and Beijing’s response should serve as a warning to advocates for Taiwan’s independence, according to General Sun Jianguo, a deputy chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army. “Hostile forces have always attempted to make Hong Kong the bridgehead for subverting and infiltrating mainland China,” Sun said. “The illegal Occupy Central activities in 2014 came as minority radical groups in Hong Kong, under the instigation and support of external forces … orchestrated a Hong Kong version of a colour revolution.” He said the central government had shown firm support for the Hong Kong government in dealing with the protests, and that Beijing’s defence of “one country, two systems” should also serve as a warning to Taiwan’s pro-independence forces. Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, chair professor of public policy at City University, said Sun’s remarks “definitely reflect the central government’s stance”.

Occupy Hong Kong, Take Two

February 15, 2015 Ulson Gunnar, www.journal-neo.org Educate! China, Hong Kong, Umbrella Revolution

Were Hong Kong’s street demonstrations a movie, the director’s chair would certainly be placed in Washington D.C. Several independent researchers have exposed the shockingly large number of direct links between funding and political backing from Washington and nearly every prominent leader organizing street demonstrations in Hong Kong. The yellow umbrellas winding through Hong Kong’s streets, whose numbers are inflated by American and British media’s expert use of tight angles and close ups, could be considered “take two.” Take one wasn’t fit for Washington’s vision for Hong Kong, which is ironic considering the protests claim to be fighting for Hong Kong’s self-determination. Regardless, the last round of protests fared poorly, with the majority of Hong Kong’s residents turning on protesters who blocked roads for weeks, hurting local businesses and disrupting the lives, peace, and prosperity of the majority. A loud, disruptive minority, disrupting the peace and prosperity of the majority, all while shouting “pro-democratic” slogans presents another irony and one that seems lost on some.

Hong Kong Democracy Movement Back, Turnout Down

February 2, 2015 Tony Cheung, Phila Siu, Ernest Kao and Samuel Chan, www.scmp.com Resist! China, Democracy, Hong Kong, Occupy

Turnout for the first major pro-democracy march of the post-Occupy era fell well short of expectations yesterday - but organisers rejected suggestions people were growing less determined about the fight for democracy. Rather it was a sign Hongkongers no longer had faith in "conventional ways" of protesting, Civil Human Rights Front convenor Daisy Chan Sin-ying said. She said more "alternative" forms of civil disobedience could emerge unless the government heeded public opinion on "genuine democracy". The front put turnout for the march from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay to Central at 13,000. Independent academics put the turnout at 11,000 to 12,000, while police said 6,600 left the park, with a peak turnout of 8,800.

Hong Kong Occupy Protest Leaders Arrested

January 26, 2015 AFP, www.AFP.org Resist! China, Hong Kong, Occupy Central

The original founders of Hong Kong's pro-democracy Occupy movement were arrested and released Saturday as the city's police chief defended the investigation into mass protests, saying it was not "a show". A number of protest leaders have been arrested and released without charge, with some calling the investigation harassment. Occupy founder Benny Tai said that he, Chan Kin-man and Chu Yiu-ming had been formally arrested on accusations of organising and participating in an illegal assembly, but were not charged. They were released after three hours. "Three of us were showed some videos and articles... we were released unconditionally," he said.

Hong Kong Leader Cancels Town Hall Meetings On Occupy

January 7, 2015 Tong Shi, www.bloomberg.com Resist! China, Democracy, Hong Kong, Occupy Central

Hong Kong’s government canceled the chief executive’s town hall meetings for the first time over concerns about potential public unrest spurred by pro-democracy protests that ended last month. Leung Chun-ying’s meet-the-people sessions were called off due to the situation and atmosphere in the city when they were scheduled, a spokesman for Leung’s office, who asked that his name not be used per office policy, said by phone. The meetings have been held at least three times annually over the previous five years to gauge public opinion ahead of the annual policy address and budget release.

Benny Tai, Jimmy Lai & Joshua Wong Among 30 Occupy Arrest Targets

January 7, 2015 Clifford Lo and Jeffie Lam, www.scmp.com Resist! China, Democracy, Hong Kong, Occupy Central

More than 30 key figures of civil disobedience face prosecution after police initiated their first post-Occupy Central arrests yesterday over the mass sit-ins for democracy. At least four pan-democratic party leaders-cum-lawmakers are on a list of people the police force is inviting to help with the investigations. The Civic Party's Alan Leong Kah-kit, Labour Party's Lee Cheuk-yan and League of Social Democrats' Leung Kwok-hung were among those requested to visit police headquarters in Wan Chai, according to a police source. Once there, the source said, they would be arrested for instigating, organising or aiding and abetting an unlawful assembly over the 79-day protests.

Occupy Hong Kong Protesters Attempt To Return

December 26, 2014 Associated Press, www.theguardian.com Resist! China, Hong Kong, Occupy Central

Hong Kong police say they arrested 12 protesters who were blocking several roads in the Mong Kok neighborhood overnight on Wednesday as pro-democracy demonstrators returned to the site hundreds had occupied for more than two months. Police said in a statement on Thursday that they had used pepper spray and batons to break up the protest and arrested demonstrators on charges ranging from assaulting a police officer to failing to produce proof of identity. The statement said two police officers were injured in the operation. Thousands of protesters had occupied three busy neighborhoods to demand that residents of the semi-autonomous city be allowed to elect their top executive in 2017 from an open list of candidates. Chinese officials are requiring that a committee believed friendly to Beijing select the candidates.

Hong Kong Protesters Evolve To Non-Cooperation Movement

December 15, 2014 Joyce Ng and Samuel Chan, www.scmp.com Resist! China, Hong Kong, Occupy Central, Protest

Students and civic groups are launching a "non-cooperation movement" - urging people to delay paying their public-housing rent and to pay tax bills in small and symbolic amounts - as an offshoot of the Occupy prodemocracy protests. Alex Chow Yong-kang, secretary general of the Federation of Students, said yesterday the actions were legal and busy workers unable to join previous protests could take part. "Occupy is taking on different forms. While the government has no timetable for universal suffrage, we do have a timetable to fight for it and challenge the legitimacy of the government," Chow said.

What US Movements Can Learn From The Hong Kong Protests

December 6, 2014 Ian Rowen, www.occupy.com Strategize! China, Hong Kong, Occupy Central, Occupy Wall Street

They were not the words of a local student or activist, but of a visitor from Shanghai. As we talked by my tent in the encampment, we reflected that Hong Kong activists were fighting to exercise the simple right that Americans across the Pacific would be using at the ballot box the very next day, in national elections on Nov. 4. More than 60 people now sit in prison in China for expressing various degrees of support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Umbrella Movement. Yet, more come here every day for a taste of what one man from Beijing described to me as "the first ever genuine movement for freedom on Chinese soil.” Although this could not have been said as easily across the border, it's an increasingly common sentiment these days in Hong Kong, where local, mainland and even Taiwanese activists continue forging new connections around the makeshift supply stations and study centers of the occupation.

Occupy Protesters In Mong Kok Take To The ‘Shopping Tour’

December 5, 2014 Samuel Chan, www.scmp.com Resist! China, Hong Kong, Occupy Central, Protest

Traffic may have returned to the Mong Kok protest zone, but last week's clearance of the encampment has given rise to a new form of protest known as the "shopping tour", with activists taking to the crowded footpaths to convey their political message. Participants say it is more fun and a pleasant change from camping on the tarmac, plus it is proving even more effective as a strain on police manpower. Every night since last Friday, dozens of protesters have gathered outside a cinema on Sai Yeung Choi Street South. They watch movie trailers while chanting spontaneous slogans inspired by images on the screen. Then they roam the footpaths, obstructing commerce while evading police.

Hong Kong Protests: Occupy Central Founders To Surrender To Police

December 3, 2014 Fiona Law and Chester Yung, www.online.wsj.com Resist! China, Hong Kong, Occupy Central, Protests

Three founders of the pro-democracy protest group Occupy Central with Love and Peace called on students to end their occupation of city streets, but student leaders vowed to press on. The middle-aged leaders of the Occupy movement raised the idea of using civil disobedience in the former British colony to push for greater democracy last year, but student protest groups have been at the forefront of the two-month-long street demonstrations—and student leaders on Tuesday quickly rejected the idea of abandoning their encampments. In an emotional plea Tuesday, the Occupy leaders said they feared the clashes between protesters and police were escalating at a dangerous pace and urged the students to stand down.

Hong Kong Protests Escalate With Increased Police Conflicts

December 1, 2014 Danny Mok, Tony Cheung, Phila Siu and Shirley Zhao, www.scmp.com Resist! China, Hong Kong, Occupy Central, police brutality, Protests

Students fought running battles with police outside government headquarters on Sunday night as Occupy protesters tried to storm the Admiralty compound and lay siege to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's office. Minutes after student leaders called on the thousands gathered at the Admiralty Occupy encampment, hundreds of protesters - wearing an assortment of hard hats and protective masks - thronged around government headquarters and Tamar Park and began trying to breach police lines at various points. Police used pepper spray and baton charges to repel them, leaving some bloodied and requiring treatment by makeshift medics. Key areas of violence were Lung Wo Road and the walkways from Harcourt Road to government headquarters.

First Occupy Site Cleared As Angry Hong Kong Protesters Stand Watch

November 27, 2014 Samuel Chan, Ernest Kao and Chris Lau, www.scmp.com Resist! China, Hong Kong, Occupy Central, Protests

Hong Kong bailiffs tasked to enforce a court order against a key protest camp have successfully torn down barricades at an intersection in Mong Kok, after a tense face-off with pro-democracy demonstrators. The 20-man "removal team" cleared the juction of Argyle Street and Nathan Road in just 45 minutes. They cut the plastic cordons, tape and strong adhesives that held the barricades in place, and confiscated wooden pallets, fencing and umbrellas. With the barricades cleared at around 11.15am, the bailiffs breached the protest zone and moved to dismantle remaining tents. Police officers, deployed to assist the bailiffs if necessary, formed a line at the intersection to prevent demonstrators from reoccupying the area. Minutes later, some officers, yelling "Open the road", began pushing back protesters in an apparent attempt to clear a passage for debris to be carried away to a waiting truck.

Thousands Flood Hong Kong District After Clashes With Police

November 27, 2014 Philip Ross www.ibtimes.com Resist! China, Hong Kong, Occupy Central, Protests

Thousands of protesters flooded Hong Kong’s busy commercial neighborhood of Mong Kok Tuesday night after police attempted to disperse demonstrators camped out there, the New York Times reported. Tensions mounted as authorities confronted pro-democracy protesters with pepper spray and tried to force them back onto Nathan Road, a bustling tourist area occupied by protesters since demonstrations began in late September. The number of pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong has dwindled from more than 100,000 at its peak to just a few hundred. Tuesday night’s flood of demonstrators marked a resurgence of support, but it was unclear how long the new wave of protesters would stay in the area.

Hong Kong May Start Clearing City-Center Demonstrators

November 18, 2014 Vinicy Chan and Natasha Khan, www.bloomberg.com Resist! China, Hong Kong, Occupy Central

Hong Kong’s government may today clear some of the city-center obstructions erected by pro-democracy protesters, as public support for the student-led movement ebbs after almost two months of demonstrations. Police will help court bailiffs to enforce a civil injunction against protesters blocking entrance into the Citic Tower in the Admiralty district, according to apress release posted on the government’s website yesterday. The court order doesn’t cover the main tent city the protesters have set up. Attempts to impede the bailiffs may render protesters liable to charges of criminal contempt of court and police will take “resolute action” against violence, the government said. The statement makes no mention of plans to clear barricades in theMong Kok district across the harbor, which are the target of separate injunctions.

«1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 »

Daily movement news and resources