HK demonstrators to rally, backing Catalan separatists

HONG KONG: Protesters in Hong Kong planned to rally yesterday in support of demonstrators pushing for a separate Catalonia in northeastern Spain as a Chinese official denounced months of “mad violence” in Hong Kong and forces pushing for independence.

The protests in Spain’s wealthiest region of Catalonia bear some resemblances to the demonstrations in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong, where millions have taken to the streets for five months to vent their anger over what they see as Beijing’s tightening grip on the city.

Most protesters in Hong Kong want greater democracy, among other demands, although a small minority is calling for independence, a red line for Beijing.

“It has become more and more clear that it is not a peaceful demonstration in Hong Kong at all, but a violent crime that is mad,” Xie Feng, the Commissioner for the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong, said in a speech yesterday.

“The real purpose of the Hong Kong opposition and the foreign forces behind it is to disrupt Hong Kong, overthrow the legitimate government, and seize the power of governance. It is to turn Hong Kong into an independent or semi-independent political entity and subvert ‘one country, two systems.’ This is a delusion. Hong Kong is China’s Hong Kong.”

Under the terms of the 1997 handover from Britain, Hong Kong was allowed to retain extensive freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China under the “one country, two systems” formula.

But many Hong Kong residents are angry at what they see as a march towards mainland control.

A poster advertising yesterday’s demonstration of solidarity with protesters in Catalonia featured the slogan; “United We Stand Against Tyranny”.

Organisers have called on people to rally at Chater Garden in the heart of the financial centre. Their rally is one of the few to have obtained a permit from authorities in recent weeks.

Catalonia, like Hong Kong, has more than 7 million inhabitants, its own language and flag. Some demonstrators waved the Catalan flag at a protest in Hong Kong on Sunday.