Protests expected at Hong Kong Premier League as ‘no gunshots: just whistle’ group organises three-minute silence
- Fans told to wear black shirts as well as masks and goggles at stadiums for all five first-round games of the new season
- Organisers tight-lipped about how many supporters they expect to take part
All eyes are on the opening games of the Hong Kong Premier League this weekend but the focus for some supporters will be on what happens in the stands rather than on the pitch.
A series of three-minute silences are planned for the five first-round matches, which start with Kitchee against Happy Valley at Mong Kok Stadium on Friday night, although nobody knows how many fans will take part.
That game is expected to pull the biggest crowd of the weekend as Kitchee are the best-supported club in the city.
Fans in Section 18 of the ground will fall silent after six minutes and nine seconds of the second half of the match in plans organised by a group calling themselves “No gunshots: just whistle”.
The significance of the number is that it mirrors the June 9 date of the first major protest against a now-suspended bill that would allow the transfer of fugitives to jurisdictions with which Hong Kong lacks an extradition deal, including mainland China.
The group has been calling on fellow fans to join the silence, in messages shared on social media.
They say the silences are staged in hopes of ending the “deteriorating situation” in the city.
Supporters attending games at Tai Po Sports Ground, Yuen Long Stadium and Sham Shui Po Sports Ground are expected to hold silences at the same point in the second half of their games.
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When asked how many fans they were expecting to take part, organisers declined to comment.
However, in a bilingual message being shared via WhatsApp, the group explained the reasons for its plans.
“This is the declaration of all passionate local football supporters, as Hongkongers, to bring forth not your political opinions, but your conscience as a human being. Although we support clubs of different colours, we all share the same conscience,” group members said.
Despite saying they are apolitical, the rest of the message suggests organisers’ sympathies lie with the anti-government protesters.
“We have watched the deteriorating situation caused by the government’s proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislative Bill 2019,” it read.
“The only mechanism in our view which would take a recognised and substantial step towards healing wounds and beginning the process of reconciliation in the community is the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry; just like how referees have VAR and goal line technology, we will be able to keep rule breakers accountable for their actions.
“We would like to invite everyone to join us for a 3 minute silence in the coming Hong Kong Premier League match, as we stand, shoulder to shoulder and covering our right eye at 6 minute 9 seconds, in solidarity with those who suffered under the Hong Kong police, and demonstrate our commitment to our demands, in unison,” they said.
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This is in reference to a young woman who suffered a severe eye injury in a recent protest outside a Hong Kong police station. Protesters say she was hit by a police beanbag round during a violent protest on August 11, but the force is not taking the blame pending an investigation.
“Please bring along your black shirts, your masks and your goggles to the stadiums,” their statement ends.
The plans follow protests at the game between Manchester City and Kitchee at Hong Kong Stadium last month, where fans held up banners and sang anti-government slogans.
