Dismayed Hong Kong supporters hold pro-democracy protest in Vancouver
Credit to Author: Nick Eagland| Date: Sun, 01 Sep 2019 01:50:34 +0000
Hundreds of pro-democracy activists rallied Saturday outside the Vancouver Public Library in solidarity with protesters in Hong Kong and across the globe.
The rally was held amid continuing police violence in Hong Kong and on the fifth anniversary of the day China set limits for Hong Kong’s 2017 chief executive election that led to massive protests there known as the “Umbrella Revolution.”
At the rally in Vancouver, protesters wore black and donned symbols of solidarity with the Hong Kong protesters, who have taken to the streets each weekend to oppose executive administrator Carrie Lam’s failure to withdraw an extradition bill, as well as the police violence.
In Hong Kong a protester runs amid tear gas during clashes with police outside the Central Government Complex.
Earlier in the day, Hong Kong police had fired tear gas and water cannons at local pro-democracy protesters, who responded with petrol bombs and bricks dug up from pathways, according to a Reuters report. Last month, pro-Beijing “triad” gangsters brutally attacked and injured peaceful pro-democracy protesters with metal rods, according to multiple reports.
The Vancouver protesters waved Canadian flags and held signs that said “Stop HK police brutality” and “Free Hong Kong.”
They chanted “Free the Michaels,” referring to Canadians Kovrig and Spavor. Both men have been detained in China since Dec. 10 after being accused of stealing state secrets, a move widely seen as retaliation for the Dec. 1 arrest in Vancouver of Meng Wanzhou, a senior executive with telecom giant Huawei.
The rally was held in conjunction with events in 36 other cities across the globe, to show solidarity with the people of Hong Kong in their fight for freedom and democracy, said organizer Swana Luk of the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement.
“I think the Hong People are crying for international help,” Luk said. “We have ties with them. We have friends and relatives still living in Hong Kong. I think it is our moral obligation as Canadians to speak out for them.”
The Vancouver rally is held in conjunction with those this weekend in Hong Kong.
Bella Cheng, 61, and her husband Martin Mak, 69, came to the rally with homemade signs. They moved to Canada from Hong Kong more than 30 years ago.
“I think people voice out what they want but they can’t get it,” said Cheng, wiping away tears. “It’s hard. I hope it has a good ending.”
Justin Chan, 22, and Hayson Liu, 29, said they attended the rally because they are “outraged” by police brutality against the protesters in Hong Kong. Liu wore a black earloop mask while Chan wore a hard hat and carried an umbrella, all symbols of solidarity with the protesters overseas.
Both Chan and Liu were born in Hong Kong and have family and friends living there. They are keeping a close eye on the situation and are disturbed by media reports that show police hurting protesters.
The rally at the Vancouver Public Library in Vancouver.
“They are using excessive force and the government keeps ignoring the people, which is unacceptable,” said Chan. “It’s in violation of the ‘One-country, two systems’ (policy), which has been granted for us for the last 22 years.”
“I was disheartened,” Liu said. “Every weekend we see police blatantly beating up protesters, beating up normal citizens, tear-gassing in residential areas, arresting people on false charges.”
Liu said that while Hong Kong police are attacking the protesters directly, China’s Communist government is attacking their freedoms of speech, press and to peacefully assemble.
Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan told the crowd she was dismayed by the events in her birth place. She is concerned, too, for the roughly 300,000 Canadian citizens who live and work in Hong Kong.
Kwan said she remembers the commitment made to the people of Hong Kong during its handover from the United Kingdom to China in 1997. She felt confident things were going to be OK.
But now, with the extradition bill and the concerns around what it means for the people of Hong Kong, she recognizes something must change.
“I urge the Hong Kong administration to withdraw the extradition bill,” she said.
“I think that it is such a necessary action to show a sign of goodwill, to de-escalate the situation. I think we’re all in agreement that what we hope to see is for peace to be restored in Hong Kong, for the violence to end, for us to engage in a dialogue to find a path forward.”
— With files from Reuters
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