PROTESTERS IN HONG KONG RALLY SUNDAY IN AN AREA POPULAR WITH CHINESE TOURISTS — A BID BY ACTIVISTS TO SPREAD THEIR MESSAGE TO THE MAINLAND.
Protesters in Hong Kong took their message to a new audience Sunday — mainland Chinese tourists — as coverage of the anti-government movement has been heavily censored by Beijing authorities.
Thousands marched through popular tourist areas in the first major demonstration since Monday, when a small group of protesters seized the city’s legislature.
Organizers said about 230,000 turned out for the protests, though police said the turnout was 56,000 at its peak. Many chatted with the Chinese tourists, explaining privileges enjoyed in Hong Kong, a former colony whose freedoms are guaranteed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, an agreement that went into effect when the British handed the territory back to Beijing.
Others detailed why controversy erupted over an extradition proposal that would send suspects to face trial in China, where the ruling Communist Party largely controls the courts.
State media coverage of the protests that brought millions to the streets and have agitated Hong Kong for a month — ending in police spraying tear gas and firing rubber bullets — has been heavily restricted in China, largely focused on condemning demonstrators for engaging in violent clashes with the police.
Beijing has accused U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt of a “Cold War mentality” over his position on the Hong Kong protests.
And on the BBC Sunday, Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to the U.K., insisted he was not interested in a “diplomatic war” with Britain over its former colony, and criticized Hunt for his stance of “strategic ambiguity” on the possibility of sanctions against China over the crackdown on protesters in Hong Kong.
The waves of people out on the street were greeted with bemusement by Chinese tourists, some of whom were visiting Hong Kong for the first time and had never seen a demonstration before.
“I don’t really understand the issue,” said Miao Yiwen, 20, a university student, who arrived two days ago.
“I don’t get what’s going on. Why is everyone so easily excitable?” she said, as the sound of protesters chanting rose into the air.
Crowds swelled quickly as more joined along the way, quickly reaching the march’s end point — Hong Kong West Kowloon Station that connects mainland China to Hong Kong.
The station itself was a flashpoint when it opened last September — a physical sign of China encroaching on Hong Kong. Mainland law applies to the station and passengers must go through Chinese immigration and customs inside.
After much violence over the last month between police and demonstrators, those out Sunday wanted to keep the peace.