Depriving Hongkongers of platform to voice their grievances could trigger mass protests, rally organiser says
- Civil Human Rights Front convenor Figo Chan admits the group’s ability to function has been severely impaired by a raft of legal problems
- Signs of the group’s disintegration began to appear with a wave of arrests and pressure stemming from the national security law, he says
The head of the group behind many of Hong Kong’s largest rallies in recent years has warned that depriving residents of channels to voice their grievances could trigger mass protests and even violence.
The convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), Figo Chan Ho-wun, also admitted the ability of the organisation to function had been severely undermined by a raft of legal problems.
The organisation, which was founded 19 years ago and holds a protest rally every July 1 marking the anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China, is facing an uncertain future after police said they were seeking advice from the Department of Justice over whether the group was legal.
Chan, 25, is due in court on Monday to face a charge of taking part in an illegal assembly on October 1, 2019.
He first became involved with the front in 2017, offering his art skills to design banners for its protest marches. The following year, he became the group’s vice-convenor, and last year he took on the top job.
Police commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung has said the force was seeking advice from the department over the legality of the group’s operations before making its next move, marking the first time in 19 years that police have questioned the CHRF’s right to exist.