Thousands march in Hong Kong to show dissent for Chinese rule
Tens of thousands of
pro-democracy protesters have marched across Hong Kong to mark the
20th anniversary of its return to Chinese control with a high-profile show of
dissent. China’s
president Xi
Jinping, who had been in the former British colony on a three-day tour,
flew out of Hong Kong just hours before the annual protest kicked off in
Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon.
But organisers said
they remained determined to let Hong Kong’s political masters in Beijing know
how they felt after two decades of Chinese rule. “We know he has gone
back to Beijing but we still want to show that they cannot ignore our voice,”
said Howard Cheng, 28, one of the leaders of the group that organises the
rally, the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF). “He came to Hong Kong but he didn’t
want to hear the real voice of the Hong Kong people.”
Cheng accused Beijing
of offering “fake democracy” to Hong Kong’s 7.3 million residents. “We are here
to fight for democracy and universal suffrage.” Organisers said more
than 60,000 people joined the 3km march, which has been held nearly every year
since Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 .
Saturday’s rally,
which will be followed by a massive pro-Beijing firework display celebrating
the anniversary, kicked off at about 3.30pm local time. A column of protestors
surged eastwards from the park towards Hong Kong’s financial centre, carrying
flags, banners and yellow umbrellas – the symbol of 2014’s
mass protests – stamped with the words: “Power to the people”. Many carried messages of dissent on black and white T-shirts emblazoned with slogans
such as: “Never back down”, “fight for Hong Kong,” and, more poetically, “being
born in uncertain times carries certain responsibilities.”
The protesters and
their leaders said they hoped to use the anniversary of Britain’s departure to
voice their disgust at Beijing’s refusal to grant them genuine democracy and
its alleged erosion of their autonomy and freedoms. A series of political
scandals - including the
abduction of a group of local booksellers by mainland agents – have
left many convinced that Beijing
is preparing to take a harder line with those who question its rule
over the former colony. “We are here to tell
the truth that the 20th anniversary of handover is nothing to celebrate. We
still don’t have democracy. We are here to tell the world that,” Nathan Law, a
local pro-democracy legislator who was among those leading the rally, told the
Guardian... read more:
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