Government linked Legco clash with Occupy Central to denigrate movement, says activist

Activists who tried to storm the legislature last week said yesterday they were just opposing plans to develop new towns, not a mob conducting a trial run of the planned Occupy Central blockade.

The government had "overestimated" their abilities and intentions by linking the clash at the Legco building to preparations for bringing the commercial hub to a standstill.

Occupy organisers are planning to mobilise 10,000 people to stage a non-violent sit-in on the streets of Central if the government fails to come up with a satisfactory proposal for the 2017 chief executive election.

But the protesters at the Legislative Council building last Friday said they were only trying to stop lawmakers voting on the government's request for HK$340 million for planning for the two new towns in the northeastern New Territories.

A political scientist criticised the administration for naming - via a government source speaking to local media - six out of the more than 10 major activist groups involved in the chaos.

Chinese University political scholar Ma Ngok said the government was "again" looking for an excuse to associate the Occupy campaign with violence in an attempt to sway public opinion.

"The public sympathises with the villagers whose homes will be razed," Ma said. "But by exaggerating the danger such activist groups pose, the government is trying to win public support for the police's high-handed approach."