My Take | Strains of Beethoven as police tag those protesting at reclamation
- From a classical symphony in 1997 to measures that go too far today, just how demonstrations should be handled remains to be resolved
Hong Kong police adopted a novel approach to a protest on the night the city returned to China in 1997. As demonstrators chanted slogans targeting Beijing, officers blared Beethoven’s fifth symphony from speakers.
This was the first free speech controversy of the post-colonial era. There were complaints that the music was deployed to drown out the demonstration. The police said it was simply to “relieve the atmosphere”. The Independent Police Complaints Council (IPPC) ruled the move was “unnecessary use of authority” by the force.
Looking back, these seem like innocent times. But the issue of how protests should be handled has still not been resolved.
Demonstrations in Hong Kong, once dubbed a “city of protest”, evaporated for three years amid pandemic restrictions on gatherings and the national security law passed in 2020. The first to go ahead with police authorisation took place a week ago. This was a relatively small protest, with up to 80 participants, but any procession with more than 30 requires police permission.
Residents in Tseung Kwan O oppose government plans to build six facilities, including a concrete plant and refuse centre, on reclaimed land near their homes. They are frustrated at a lack of avenues through which to express their views. An online petition attracted 10,000 people. Organisers said 300 registered for the protest.
But the police, wary as this was the first demonstration since months of violent anti-government protests in 2019, imposed 19 conditions. The size of the rally was limited to 100 people. There was an unprecedented requirement for participants to wear number tags around their necks for identification. Masks could not be worn unless the wearers had a “reasonable excuse”.