Summer of standoffs in Hong Kong
In what has become a regular occurrence, protesters skirmish with police.
On one end of a Hong Kong street, protesters dressed in black ducked behind umbrellas and makeshift barricades, occasionally throwing bricks or slinging rocks. On the other end, police decked out in riot gear shouted warnings and fired tear gas.
As the late hours of Saturday stretched into the early hours of Sunday, neither side budged.
Standoffs between demonstrators and authorities have become a weekly occurrence in Hong Kong, a semiautonomous Chinese territory that has been roiled by a summer of fiery protest. What began as demonstrations against a now-suspended extradition bill has ballooned into a broader call for greater democratic freedoms and government accountability.
The now-familiar cycle of rallies, police interventions and clashes between the two sides has splintered the city. While tens of thousands marched Saturday through Mong Kok, a bustling shopping area, to call for an inquiry into alleged police brutality, another several thousand in a different part of the city gathered to show support for law enforcement.
At one rally, attendees chanted: “Support the Hong Kong police to strictly enforce the law!” At another, protesters yelled: “Police know the law and break the law!”
Several pro-democracy rally participants expressed disappointment in what they viewed as abusive and negligent behavior from police in recent weeks. After thugs dressed in white beat up people inside a commuter rail station, leaving 44 injured, Hong Kong residents accused the police of deliberately being slow to respond. Police, meanwhile, said their resources were stretched because of the ongoing protests.
“I feel so hurt,” said Zarine Chau, a 56-year-old security guard who was at the pro-democracy march. She said she rarely got involved in politics in the past, but felt moved to do so after seeing videos of police swinging their batons at protesters.
Members of the movement have demanded the resignation of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam. Lam was not elected by the general population but rather chosen by a committee dominated by pro-Beijing elites.
When Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997, the city was promised certain freedoms under the framework of “one country, two systems,” creating a distance between the territory and the Communist Partyruled central government on the mainland. In recent years, however, some Hong Kong residents have accused Beijing of chipping away at their democratic rights as booksellers and activists have been arrested. The proposed extradition legislation would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be sent to the mainland to stand trial.
At least for the time being, the protesters seem to be gearing up for a drawnout struggle. Even as they were retreating from tear gas, they were looking ahead to another planned demonstration, shouting: “Strike on Monday!”