Mabel Tung: Pro-democracy protesters won't be intimidated by China
Credit to Author: Gordon Clark| Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2019 01:00:22 +0000
On Aug. 18, standing at the podium on the back of a pick-up truck, I felt a chilling feeling in my gut. As a member (and now chair) of the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement, I have spoken out many times since the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in front of the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver to condemn the regime’s violent violations of human rights.
As a Chinese-Canadian, I feel an obligation to speak out for freedom, democracy and human rights — especially for those who are unable to in their home countries. My recent experiences in support of those ideals have been very different from those over the last 30 years.
We were at the Aug. 18 protest to support the people of Hong Kong. Since June 9, Hong Kong protesters have taken to the streets against a bill that would have allowed criminal suspects from Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China. Since 1997, when the British colony was returned to China, personal freedoms and the autonomy of its citizens have been eroding, and this bill was another infringement of rights.
Protests have been ongoing throughout the summer and as many as two million people at a time have come out and protested. Although there have been clashes with police and some pockets of vandalism, the protests have mostly been peaceful. Our rally in Vancouver was to condemn the actions of the Hong Kong police and the use of excessive force against civilians and peaceful demonstrators on Aug. 11, and the ineffectual and unaccountable Hong Kong government that has yet to formally and definitively withdraw the bill.
When we arrived at the Chinese consulate on Aug. 18, there were three trucks parked to block the sidewalk in front of the building. Accordingly, we moved to the other side of the street. Then before we had even started, about a hundred people with flags of the People’s Republic of China arrived across the street, chanting “We love China,” “We love Hong Kong,” “One country” and “No secession.” They also sang the Chinese national anthem.
One individual blatantly photographed close-up pictures of our supporters. These gestures, sometimes referred to as “white terror,” are common in China. Once the Chinese regime has your photo, they are able to use facial-recognition technology to identify you when you pass through their border. There are also stories of harassment and intimidation of family in China.
Many of our supporters were already shaken from the harassment they experienced the day before during a rally at the Broadway-City Hall SkyTrain station. A pro-China group of mainly students discussed sabotaging the event on Chinese social media platform WeChat. Police were notified. Some posted photos of knives, bricks, axes and a pellet gun, saying they would bring them to Saturday’s event.
At the rally, a few hundred people waved Chinese flags and shouted slogans. Our supporters felt their anger and aggressiveness. An individual took photos of us and a middle-aged woman angrily approached some kids and violently ripped down another supporter’s sign before she was stopped.
Chinese state media portrays the mainly peaceful protests as riots, mischaracterizing the issue as one of Hong Kong independence to counter the protests and incite anger. Mischaracterizations of the protests have propagated over social media. It is well-documented that the Chinese Communist Party influences the Chinese community in other countries to promote its own version of events — even attempting to block freedoms of speech and assembly that are Canadian rights.
Despite the intimidation, we will continue to protest in solidarity with the Hong Kong people.
Mabel Tung is chair of the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement.
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