Duelling Hong Kong protests face off outside Chinese consulate in Vancouver
Credit to Author: Cheryl Chan| Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2019 02:24:33 +0000
Pro-Hong Kong and pro-Beijing protesters faced off against each other for the second day in a row in Vancouver, a sign of tensions in Hong Kong spilling over into the Chinese diaspora in B.C.
Hundreds of people showed up at a rally organized by a group called the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement outside the Chinese consulate on Granville Street Sunday afternoon to condemn what it called police brutality in Hong Kong.
Pro-Hong Kong protesters wave Canadian flags in solidarity with Hong Kong protesters who have taken to the streets starting June in response to a controversial extradition law.
Waving Canadian flags and placards that say “Free Hong Kong,” the crowd chanted “Hong Kong, be strong” and “Release detained Canadians,” in reference to Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who have been detained in China since December.
The event also drew a contingent of pro-Beijing demonstrators, who waved Chinese flags and at times tried to drown out the chants and speeches of the pro-democracy demonstrators with their own slogans and songs.
Pro-Beijing supporters wave Chinese flags outside the Chinese consulate on Granville Street in Vancouver on Sunday.
The protests were loud but peaceful, with busy Granville Street traffic keeping the two sides apart and police keeping a close eye on the proceedings.
Hong Kong police have been accused of excessive force after firing tear gas into a crowded subway station, and after an officer allegedly shot a beanbag in the eye of a woman, believed to be a volunteer medic, who could now lose her eye.
“We want police to be peaceful and follow the rules,” said Jacky Yim, who wore a bandage over the right lens of his eyeglasses in solidarity with the woman.
He said Hong Kong values freedom of speech and democracy, and wants China to respect the “one country, two systems” framework set up after the 1997 handover.
He’s baffled by the actions of some of the pro-China side. Presumably, they came to Canada in search of a better life than in China, he said, yet seem opposed to those who are fighting for the same rights they enjoy.
Pro-Beijing supporters, including some holding placards that say “Love China, Love Hong Kong, no secession.”
“They are enjoying the good life here, but they don’t want people to fight for it,” said Yim. “I don’t know why.”
When asked that question, Candice Zhou, a pro-Beijing supporter, said: “We have to earn the freedoms, not fight for the freedom.”
Added her partner, Legolas Wang: “Hong Kong is part of China. We want peace, we don’t want violence.”
Ashley Yu, who handed out a pamphlet listing alleged acts of violence by protesters, including an alleged attack on a Chinese journalist, said she supports peaceful protest, but draws the line at violence. She disagreed that Hong Kong police engaged in violence.
“They’re doing their job, but they have received violence,” she said. “They have been very restrained in their actions.”
Ivy Lee of Canadian Friends of Hong Kong spoke at the rally in support of Hong Kong and sounded an alarm over what she says is encroaching influence and “infiltration” from Beijing in Hong Kong and other countries, including Canada.
The pro-China protesters are an example of that influence and the “importing of dictatorial values” to Canada, she said, adding Beijing supporters can host their own event yet choose to “suppress” the voices of the pro-Hong Kong group.
“This is so typical, so classic, of the tactic they use in China, like during the Olympics.”
Following a separate press conference, Vancouver’s Chinese Benevolent Association issued a statement Sunday on behalf of its members denouncing violence by “a small number of radical demonstrators” that have disrupted the lives of Hong Kong citizens and visitors.
“This is about upholding the rule of law and denouncing the violence we have seen,” said Jun Ing, vice-president of the association, which was founded in 1895 to support the Chinese-Canadian community in Vancouver. It has about 140 member organizations.
The association took out ads in local Chinese-language newspapers in June after members expressed concern that only one side of the story was being told, said Ing.
In Hong Kong on Sunday, citizens turned out in huge numbers for a pro-democracy demonstration that began at Victoria Park and spread to the streets. This time, there were no violent clashes with police.
Organizers say at least 1.7 million participated, though the police estimate was far lower.
Demonstrators fill a road in the Causeway Bay shopping district of Hong Kong on Sunday during the second-largest march of the protests, which started in June. (Lam Yik Fei/The New York Times)
Meanwhile, Chinese officials accused Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland of “meddling” in China’s internal affairs Sunday after her weekend statement condemning violence in Hong Kong in the wake of escalating tensions between pro-democracy protesters and police.
Freeland made the remarks in a joint statement issued Saturday with her counterpart in the European Union, Federica Mogherini, urging restraint amid “a rising number of unacceptable violent incidents.”
“It is crucial that restraint be exercised, violence rejected and urgent steps taken to de-escalate the situation,” the pair wrote, not explicitly assigning blame to either the government or the protestors.
“Engagement in a process of broad-based and inclusive dialogue, involving all key stakeholders, is essential,” the statement said, noting that both Canada and the EU support Hong Kong’s “high degree of autonomy” within China, as well as its residents’ right to peaceful assembly.
That statement prompted the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Canada to fire back, calling for Freeland to “immediately stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs.”
“The Canadian side should be cautious on its words and deeds,” when it comes to Hong Kong, the spokesperson wrote.
The embassy also defended the actions of Hong Kong police, saying the protests “deteriorated and evolved into extreme violence.”
“In face of such severe violence and offences, no government with a sense of responsibility would sit idly by,” the spokesperson wrote.
There have been months of protests in the semi-autonomous region as some residents accuse the Communist Party-ruled Chinese government of chipping away at Hong Kong’s democratic rights.
The movement’s demands include the resignation of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, democratic elections and an independent investigation into police use of force.
— with files from Canadian Press
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