Post-rally HK sit-in brought to close
Hong Kong police detain protestors in Central, all later released
All 511 protesters detained by police during a sit-in in Hong Kong’s Central commercial district earlier Wednesday were released before midnight.
Police gave warnings to 486 protesters, allowing the remaining 25 to leave on bail, according to Radio Television Hong Kong.
Those allowed to leave on bail must report back to police in late July or early August, police said. Among them were three men who were found with weapons such as knives on their persons. A 21-year-old woman was detained for “assaulting the police.”
The protesters, including members of Hong Kong Federation of Students and some members of the region’s pandemocrat parties, began the gathering at around 8 pm on Tuesday.
Police moved in on the gathering at around 3 am, taking away the protesters one by one.
A police statement expressed the force’s regret at protestors’ uncooperative attitude and breaches of the territory’s laws, and emphasized that its policemen have been professional, showing restraint and using “proper and necessary” force when having no other choice.
Tai Yiu-ting, an organizer of the Occupy Central with Love and Peace, said that, although he did not agree with the timing of the protest, his group would offer legal help for the arrested.
In the meantime, members of another student group, Scholarism, continued a vigil begun outside chief executive CY Leung’s office building at 10 pm on Tuesday, but did not manage to meet with Leung as planned.
“We will remain non-violent and try to avoid coming into physical contact with police,” said Wong Chi-fung, one of Scholarism’s organizers.
Organizers of Tuesday’s rally claimed that 510,000 people took part, while police estimated that only 98,000 people had participated. The Hong Kong University Public Opinion program said the number fell between 154,000 and 172,000.
“The turnout of the rally does not represent the whole of Hong Kong,” Chang Chak-yan, Chinese University political scientist and co-founder of Silent Majority told the Global Times.
“They are only representative of the existing supporters of the pro-democracy camp, who are trying to mobilize support so as to make their way into the pool of candidates for 2017 elections for chief executives,” he said.
He added that the overnight sit-in was intended to be a rehearsal to test the waters before Occupy Central officially commence, adding that protestors wanted to see how the government would react .
Separately, China on Wednesday urged the US to stop commenting on Hong Kong’s internal affairs. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Hong Kong people’s basic rights and freedom have been fully guaranteed and the universal suffrage in 2017 must comply with the Basic Law.
Tuesday marked the 17th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China, but a massive demonstration was launched on the same day by Hong Kong opposition groups. It was reported that the number of protesters was the largest ever, but the exact number varied significantly according to different groups. This demonstration, along with the latest “referendum,” was hailed as a victory by the pan-democracy groups, which believe great pressure has been imposed on the central government.
The July 1 demonstration seems to have developed into a political tradition. The organizers are basically the Hong Kong opposition groups, but the participants and their demands have become increasingly various, which make the campaign more like a party at which different classes of people vent their emotions.
The number of participants is what the opposition values the most, and their calculation is always higher than that of the local police. The num- ber of protestors, to some extent, can reflect the public will of Hong Kong, but they cannot represent the entire society. The opposition shouldn’t be indulged in forcing their ideas into the decision-making process through street politics.
It could be anticipated that in the near future, the Hong Kong opposition will reinforce their protests to coerce the central government to compromise regardless of the Basic Law.
The overall mentality of Hong Kong society is now intertwined with many contradictory feelings. As the ingrained superiority of local residents in Hong Kong starts to fade away in face of the prosperity of the Chinese mainland, Western democracy has become the most distinct token that can separate Hong Kong from the Chinese mainland.
Different attitudes toward democ- racy make some Hongkongers proud of what they can do to go against the central government. Being part of the protests doesn’t mean they really care about the results, but they are just enjoying the feeling of being different.
The disparity between the mainland and Hong Kong has posed a challenge to the whole nation. The central government needs a sober mind to ensure Hong Kong can enjoy both justice and stability.
Insisting on the Basic Law is not contradictory to meeting the demands of the Hong Kong people.
Dealing with these protests cannot be done at the cost of enlarging the gap between the mainland and Hong Kong. The central government doesn’t have to have high expectations of Hong Kong society’s satisfaction rate, and more tenacity is needed in the face of these protests.