Advertisement
Zhang Dejiang visits Hong Kong
Hong KongPolitics

‘Souvenir for Zhang Dejiang’: big yellow pro-democracy banner atop Beacon Hill despite police monitoring

League of Social Democrats sent volunteers up Lion Rock Country Park

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Firemen approaching the yellow banner with the words reading: "I want genuine universal suffrage" in Chinese which been put up at Beacon Hill this morning. 17MAY16 SCMP/ Sam Tsang
Phila Siu

A giant yellow banner bearing the words “I want genuine universal suffrage” was draped on Beacon Hill early Tuesday, despite police keeping the area under guard overnight to prevent exactly that from happening before state leader Zhang Dejiang’s arrival in the city today.

The League of Social Democrats’ vice-chairman Raphael Wong Ho-ming said the group prepared the banner bearing the pro-democracy phrase and asked volunteers to drape it on the hill in Lion Rock Country Park.

Wong said the move was aimed at the central government and Zhang Dejiang , chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and visiting the city for three days from today.

Advertisement
“This is a souvenir from the League of Social Democrats to Zhang Dejiang,” the league said in its Facebook post. “The purpose is to show Hongkongers’ determination in pursuing democracy and freedom. This is to tell the visiting state leaders that they cannot pretend to be blind.”
Advertisement

A police spokesman confirmed the force was aware of the banner and that firefighters had been instructed to remove it.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x