Hong Kong government caught on the hop by Sunday’s mass protest but it has very little wriggle room to withdraw controversial extradition bill
- Despite tens of thousands turning out to demonstrate against the extradition bill, the government is still resolved to press ahead with it
- The affair could however make it all the harder to pass the national security legislation that has long been on the government’s agenda
A massive turnout at Sunday’s protest against Hong Kong’s controversial extradition bill has caught the government between a rock and a hard place, observers say, as it makes any future attempt to introduce contentious national security legislation even tougher, whether it lets the current opposition boil over or bows to it.
But even after tens of thousands took to the streets, officials have pushed ahead with the unpopular bill – which would allow the transfer of fugitives to Taiwan, Macau and mainland China – as scrapping it under pressure would mean crushing the political energy of the entire administration.
Sunday’s turnout came as a surprise to even opposition pan-democrats, as many of them had reservations last week about organising a second protest in a month, fearing another low turnout would only make them look weak.
The opposition camp has been struggling to combat dwindling attendance and the widespread sense of cynicism in society in the wake of the Occupy protests of 2014, as evidenced by the lukewarm response to the numerous rallies it has held over the past five years.
But the jailing of four Occupy leaders last Wednesday became a key factor prompting people to return to the streets, according to Joshua Wong Chi-fung, the poster boy of the Occupy movement and now the secretary general of the youth-led Demosisto party.