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July 1 march
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Marchers carry a huge banner at the head of the procession. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Hong Kong protesters vent their anger on Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying

Some joined the annual July 1 march for the first time, expressing worries about the impact of the bookseller saga on personal freedoms

July 1 march

The July 1 march – the 19th since the 1997 handover – may have seen fewer people turn up, but the demands of protesters were more focused, with protesters expressing anger at Leung Chun-ying and distrust in Beijing over the missing booksellers’ case.

Unlike in previous years when the march often became an occasion for people to champion different causes ranging from animal rights to environmental conservation, the voices on Friday were more unified.

Many said they took to the streets because they feared that the freedoms they had enjoyed would be taken away like those of the booksellers.

“The central government is destroying ‘one country, two systems’,” said Form 5 student Man Chun-kit. “Up to now the doubts are not yet cleared as to whether mainland agencies breached the law and took law enforcement action in Hong Kong. [The booksellers’ case] seems to me one of political oppression.”

Man said he would walk “on behalf of” bookseller Lam Wing-kee, who made a last-minute decision to pull out of the march claiming he faced a “serious threat”.

A protester ‘beats’ the chief executive in Victoria Park. Photo: Sam Tsang

The five Hongkongers associated with Causeway Bay Books, which sold politically sensitive publications, went missing one after the other last year. Lam and three others have returned to Hong Kong. Lam revealed recently how he was blindfolded and handcuffed after being taken away when he crossed the border and was held for eight months.

Michelle Pardini, a teacher at the International Christian School who has lived in Hong Kong for 30 years, turned up at the march for the first time also because of the booksellers. “I am feeling quite fed up with the situation ... I do feel like our rights in Hong Kong are being eroded,” she said.

The incident also proved the Hong Kong government was unable to protect citizens, said another marcher, Sam Ng Kin-sum.

Ng also blamed the chief executive for wasting hundreds of billions of dollars in building “white elephant” infrastructure, such as the third airport runway, the bridge to Macau and Zhuhai and a cross-border high-speed railway to Guangzhou, even though difficult legal issues concerning airspace and law enforcement for these projects had yet to be resolved.

“Leung Chun-ying really should not seek a second term,” the mechanic said. “We all have had a hard time under him.”

Ng was not alone in protesting against infrastructure projects. A group carried a huge yellow banner that read “Say No to East Lantau Metropolis project”, referring to the ambitious development scheme put forward by Leung’s administration. The chief executive has said the outlying island will one day become “Hong Kong’s new centre”.

A heavy police presence was seen during the July 1 march. Photo: Dickson Lee

Education was another issue that preoccupied protesters . Andrew Man, a 22-year-old student from Hong Kong’s Lingnan University, spoke up against using Putonghua to teach Chinese in schools.

“I hate him,” Man said, adding that he felt Leung was not credible and did not represent teenagers.

Primary 1 student Yip Ka-kei said she wanted to tell the government to scrap the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA).

“I do not want any exercises but more leisure time ... Let kids do what kids should do,” the six-year-old said. She said she needed to attend a three-hour tutorial after school and work on exam exercises until 10pm every day.

Chief Executive Leung’s “bag-gate” saga also prompted Dora Lai Yuk-sim, chairwoman of the Cathay Pacific Airways Flight Attendants Union, to show up.

Lai said the incident showed “rules are no longer followed” just as airport staff were “forced” to breach security rules to help Leung’s daughter get her luggage through a restricted area. Leung denied any wrongdoing in the episode. But Lai said: “I’m afraid outspoken trade union leaders like me will be unfairly treated sooner or later.”

The march also drew ethnic minority representatives like Asma Butt, 17, a second-generation Hongkonger who is ethnically Pakistani.

The first-time protester said she decided to join when she could not go to Singapore for her further studies even though she received a full scholarship because her application for a Hong Kong SAR passport was rejected, “an incident that had a very big impact on my life”.

As in previous years, gay rights were also highlighted. Canto-pop star Denise Ho Wan-sze, who has been attacked by the mainland press for her pro-democracy stance, became one of the most popular figures at the protest, with marchers lining up to donate to her Big Love Alliance.

Cosmetic giant Lancome called off a sponsored concert by Ho last month following sharp criticism of her by Beijing-based tabloid Global Times.

“I came here to tell Hongkongers not to be afraid,” Ho said. “When fear grows, white terror will be even greater.”

Additional reporting by Selina Chea, Lauren Chan, Viola Zhou, Jane Li, Sarah Zheng, Josh Ye and Julia Hollingsworth

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: a multitude of angry voices
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