Occupy Central anniversary: Silent rally at Hong Kong government headquarters next Monday to mark launch of mass sit-ins

Plans are under way to stage a silent protest outside Hong Kong government headquarters in Admiralty to mark the first anniversary of the start of the Occupy Central pro-democracy sit-ins.

Participants gathering for the event will fall silent at 5.58pm next Monday – the precise moment a year ago when the police fired canister after canister of tear gas at occupation protesters in Admiralty.

The Civil Human Rights Front, one of the major organisers of events marking the 79-day marathon mass protests, said the aim of the commemorations was to reflect on the Occupy movement and explore the way forward.

Front spokesman Chan Shu-fai admitted the protests last year had not been able to achieve genuine universal suffrage.

“But we want to tell the government that Hong Kong people have not given up. We have not forgotten our original aim,” he said today.

Apart from the silent protest, a series of talks will be held on campuses across four universities this week as part of the commemorative events.

The talks, organised by the respective students’ unions, are to explore the future of Hong Kong’s democratic movement.

Chan stressed they had no plan to make use of the commemorative events to start another occupation protest but added: “It is a mass event. We cannot control 100 per cent what the participants would do.”

On the silent protest, Chan said they hoped participants would hold up yellow umbrellas and reflect quietly on the movement.

“Everyone is welcome to join if they pass by,” he said. “There will be no slogan shouting and no marching. We will stand quietly for about 15 minutes.”