Rally shines light on Hong Kong protests
More than 1,500 gather outside China’s consulate in Vancouver in opposition to extradition bill
Pro-democracy activists rallied Saturday outside China’s consulate in Vancouver to oppose an unpopular extradition bill and condemn the Hong Kong police force’s use of violence against protesters.
More than 1,500 people crowded the sidewalk outside the Granville Street building, stretching down the block from Marpole Avenue to Angus Drive. They raised clenched fists and called for Hong Kong to let the bill die, hours after the government announced the bill had been suspended after six days of international protest.
Some protesters carried signs with slogans such as “No extradition to China” and “Support HK citizens, police brutality is wrong.” Many held yellow umbrellas, a symbol of resistance against pepper spray from the “Umbrella Movement” started during the 2014 Hong Kong protests.
They sang Do You Hear the People Sing? from the musical Les Misérables. Drivers honked horns to show their support.
A surveillance camera outside the consulate scanned back and forth over the crowd.
Earlier, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced she was “suspending” the extradition bill. Her pro-Beijing government had sought to give the Chinese authoritarian state power to demand the surrender of people from Hong Kong for trial.
The protesters in Vancouver said Lam should have withdrawn her plan permanently.
“Even though she came out to announce she will defer on this bill, we can see this evil bill will be sitting there and waiting for (an) opportunity to suppress Hong Kong, to threaten Hong Kong people,” said Ken Tung of the Civic Education Society in Vancouver, who gave his speech from a trailer attached to a pickup truck.
“Right now we have some people wounded by the excessive police force. These people were arrested in the hospital, totally against the freedom of speech and assembly in Hong Kong. We are here to protest.”
Since last Sunday, hundreds of thousands of protesters have assembled outside government headquarters in Hong Kong to oppose the bill.
Police have hit the crowds with tear gas and rubber bullets, injuring many protesters.
Global Affairs Canada says an estimated 300,000 Canadians live and work in Hong Kong, but it is unclear how many have roots in B.C.
“Many more Canadians will be visiting Hong Kong for business, professional or personal reasons,” said Ivy Li of the group Canadian Friends of Hong Kong that helped organize the rally.
“What might happen to these Canadians if they are being extradited to mainland China from Hong Kong? Certainly, they would not be allowed to live in their own multimillion-dollar mansions, free to go shopping and speak with their lawyers, friends and families like Meng Wanzhou.”
The crowd jeered at Li’s mention of Meng, a senior executive with telecom giant Huawei who was arrested in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities, who want her extradited to face fraud charges.
Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested Dec. 10 in China for allegedly stealing state secrets, and have been detained since, a move widely seen as retaliation for Meng’s arrest.
Natalie Woo attended the rally to call for the total withdrawal of the extradition bill, and condemn the Hong Kong police’s use of force.
“Our police forces have been eroding for the past couple of years, in the sense that they have been acting very violently against protesters,” Woo said.
“We’re not satisfied with Carrie Lam’s answer to suspend the bill, because we don’t trust the government enough to act in good faith.”
Woo said rallying in Vancouver sends a message that there is global solidarity for those who protest the bill.