Hong Kong protests: opposition group urges city’s No 2 official to exempt it from Covid-19 social-distancing rules for Tiananmen vigil
- Organiser of city’s annual June 4 vigil points to improvement in pandemic situation in letter to Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung
- One member, however, notes that if police ban the gathering for reasons other than social-distancing, there is little Cheung can do
In a statement, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China said it had written to Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung asking him to allow a march this Sunday and the group’s annual June 4 candlelight vigil next Friday.
“The Covid-19 situation has continued to improve, public venues and facilities have been reopened gradually, and group gathering measures have also been eased,” the statement read.
“The alliance hopes that under pandemic precautions, Hong Kong residents can still mourn June 4 in a lawful, peaceful and safe environment. This is an indispensable collective memory shared by Hong Kong residents over the past 31 years.”
The letter came as police in Macau announced they were banning an activist group in the casino hub from organising a June 4 vigil. Macau, like Hong Kong, banned a similar event last year amid the pandemic.
This year, Macau police cited both the pandemic and criminal law in dismissing the application.