Hong Kong activists make their voices heard at July 1 protest
Annual mass rally proceeds relatively peacefully as fears of violence by breakaway ‘black mask’ protesters prove unfounded
Tens of thousands took to the streets of Hong Kong for the annual July 1 protest march yesterday as the city marked the 19th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule, but fears of orchestrated violence by breakaway radicals proved unfounded.
Apart from scuffles at Government House that prompted police to use pepper spray against protesters, and the arrests of three people accused of carrying offensive weapons outside Beijing’s liaison office, the mass rally was peaceful.
Leading muted official celebrations as a mark of respect for two firefighters who were killed in an industrial building blaze last month, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying vowed to uphold the city’s core values, while President Xi Jinpingsaid in Beijing that the central government would support the city’s leader and continue to thoroughly implement the principles of “one country, two systems” and “Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong”.
The Civil Human Rights Front, the organiser of the annual mass rally, put the turnout at 110,000, compared with last year’s 48,000.
Police said the number of marchers peaked at 19,300, compared with 19,650 last year.
Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, a statistician from the University of Hong Kong, estimated 26,600 people joined the march. The university’s public opinion poll, conducted separately, put the figure at 26,000.
It was the last mass rally before the Legislative Council elections in September and next year’s chief executive election.
Reasons for protesting cited by marchers ranged from the missing bookseller controversy to dissatisfaction with the government and fears about the city’s future.
Lam Wing-kee, the bookseller who caused a storm by detailing his eight-month detention on the mainland, was supposed to lead the march, but pulled out at the last minute citing a “serious threat” to his safety.
In Beijing, Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director Wang Guangya accused Lam of destroying “one country, two systems” by selling books on the mainland that were banned there.
Localist groups shunned the march and its theme demanding the chief executive’s resignation as a ritualistic waste of time.
Chinese University political commentator Ivan Choy Chi-keung noted that despite the organisers’ claim of a higher turnout, a downward trend had emerged since the Occupy protests in 2014.
“A growing number of young people doubt the effectiveness of conventional protest methods. Some resort to radical and even violent means of protests, while others are so frustrated that they consider all protest methods are useless,” he said.
But front convenor Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit said yesterday’s turnout was double that of last year because people were feeling more empowered.
He denied inflating the numbers, even though Victoria Park, the starting point, appeared relatively empty at the beginning of the march. More people chose to join along the way, he explained.
The government issued a statement noting protesters’ views on policies and initiatives.
“The government will continue to adopt a pragmatic and rational approach and strengthen communication with different sectors,” a spokesman said.
On the bookseller controversy, the central government had agreed to discuss the existing notification mechanism between Hong Kong and the mainland over detention of residents, the spokesman said.
At one stage last night, police used pepper spray against demonstrators during scuffles outside the chief executive’s official residence.
Clashes erupted at around 9pm when more than 100 protesters tried to make a U-turn and leave Government House, as police stopped them moving to the front gate from the back door.
A man was arrested outside Beijing’s liaison office in Western on suspicion of carrying a knife. Hundreds of police officers and journalists expecting a radical, “black mask” protest by localist groups outnumbered stragglers who turned up there.
The force would not say exactly what weapon the man was carrying, but it was reportedly a knife. He was arrested at 8.33pm.
Two others were also intercepted outside the liaison office and arrested for possession of offensive weapons.
Earlier the chief executive vowed to continue focusing on economic development in the coming year when he addressed the reception marking the 19th anniversary of the handover.
Leung also paid tribute to the two firemen who lost their lives in the Ngau Tau Kok blaze.
Thousands of people joined about 200 celebratory events.
Additional reporting by Phila Siu, Christy Leung, Owen Fung and Raymond Yeung
