Hong Kong protesters’ tactics aid effectiveness

HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s youth are no rookies when it comes to protests.

The city’s young activists have finetuned their strategies since Occupy Central in 2014, a months-long pro-democracy demonstration that ended without tangible victories. Using a range of new tactics, they have helped rally hundreds of thousands of fellow Hong Kong residents to take to the streets over the past month.

The protesters have pressed on with an expanding set of demands, even after Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the extradition bill that triggered the outcry had been “indefinitely suspended.”

Another large march is planned for Sunday. From hand signals to Post-it notes, the protesters have honed multiple strategies and tools to maximize effectiveness, contend with police and keep up momentum:

Real-time messaging

The Hong Kong-based web forum LIHKG and Telegram, the encrypted messaging app, have served as crucial organizing platforms for the largely leaderless protests.

Protesters have formed Telegram groups to share information and formulate strategies, as well as conduct realtime planning. In the thick of a protest, they will notify each other on Telegram of the whereabouts of police officers and vote on whether to end a demonstration.

They use LIHKG, known as Hong Kong’s Reddit, to discuss next steps. Residents who are ambivalent about participating read the forum for more information, while others seek emotional support.

Yanan Wang and Alice Fung ASSOCIATED PRESS

Protective gear

If yellow umbrellas were the iconic accessory of the 2014 protests, yellow hardhats may be this year’s. During the most violent clashes, police have used pepper spray, bean bag rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas on protesters. In response, they have donned face masks, goggles and helmets.

Some protesters, outfitted with sanitary pads, gloves, saline solution, scissors, gauze and other supplies, are responsible for administering first aid.

When protesters broke into the legislature on July 1, they fashioned shields out of cardboard, wood and suitcases. The shields and face masks also conceal their identities, as some fear government repercussions and arrest.

Hand signals

Protesters use hand signals to communicate which supplies need to be delivered to the front lines. Arms circling the head indicate “helmets,” while a forward cutting motion made by the index and middle fingers signals “scissors.” The items are then passed through a human chain.

The power of the protesters’ nonverbal communication was apparent when a massive, dense crowd parted seamlessly to make way for an oncoming ambulance. Online videos capturing the moment spurred praise on social media for the protesters’ politeness and deft coordination.