Hong Kong protests apt to continue despite extradition bill withdrawal
While tensions may have eased in Hong Kong after Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam promised to withdraw a controversial extradition bill, many demonstrators and their supporters in Hong Kong, and in Vancouver, expect protests to continue.
Chinese state media called Lam’s proposal this week an “olive branch” that leaves demonstrators with no excuse to continue their mass street protests. But while protests were triggered by concern that Hong Kong suspects could face trial in mainland Chinese courts, they have widened to include calls for an independent inquiry into police violence against the pro-democracy demonstrations.
“For many who have been on the streets, (the withdrawal) clearly falls short of what needs to be done,” says Leo Shin, associate professor of Asian Studies at the University of B.C.
He said the Hong Kong government probably hopes that with school starting again and people becoming tired of the seemingly endless protests, dropping the extradition bill would undercut the democracy movement.
“But while some in Hong Kong would certainly see the moves by the government as reasonable concessions, many, including many in Canada, are likely to continue with their protests.”
The potential for this comes as Canada is hoping to reset its strained relationship with China by appointing Dominic Barton, a former McKinsey & Co. global managing director, as ambassador to China.
“Hong Kong is in a humanitarian crisis,” said Vancouver-based Fenella Sung of Canadian Friends of Hong Kong.
“Diplomacy should not stand in the way of our intervening or relief efforts. The situation in Hong Kong has gone beyond the bill,” she added.
Lam has also proposed adding two new members to the city’s independent Police Complaints Commission, but she dismissed calls for an independent inquiry into police violence.
“The commission does not have legal power to summon witnesses. If police refuse to co-operate, what can you do? Victims would be taking a risk to make complaints. No truth would come of it,” said Sung.
There is a need for an independent inquiry given the beating of dozens of protester at the end of July and the storming of a subway station last week, said David Law, an academic and former Vancouver resident who now lives in Hong Kong. “How can we seriously argue that an independent inquiry is unnecessary?”
He recently posted online a short video of a street scene in his neighbourhood: “These are NOT ne’erdo-well students in masks. These are all local residents. No masks, no weapons. Just regular folks, standing around jeering and taunting and cat-calling police, who are just standing there. ... No violence. Just disgust and contempt directed at the police.
“The point is that this (scene) is much more typical than the dramatic moments featured on the news. These moments can be, in my view, more revealing than the most dramatic ones,” he said.
This weekend, the group Vancouver Christians for Love, Peace and Justice will be holding its fifth prayer session since the protests started in June at a church in Richmond in support of human rights and freedom of assembly in Hong Kong, said Rev. Richard S. Soo.
“I think the violence and threat of it still exists and we would like to see some real progress. We are still very concerned about these issues,” said Soo, adding how an earlier prayer session in Vancouver for Hong Kong had been disrupted by pro-China supporters.