Revolution of Our Times (Part 5)

Liberate Hong Kong Revolution of Our Times

TRIGGER WARNING: some viewers may find the following content (violence, blood, suicide) distressing. “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times� is the fifth zine about the Hong Kong protests. Compiled using online sources; we do not claim ownership of any visuals. Credit list is available on issuu. Please contact Instagram@6amprojects for printable PDF version.

“Police call the demonstrators “cockroaches.”

Protesters call the police “terrorists.”

Three months since unrest began in Hong Kong, the rhetoric has shifted to match a rise in violence, strongly signaling there is little chance the conflict will subside in the near future. The government in mainland China is unlikely to give ground in its efforts to exercise its authority over the territory. The pro-democracy protesters appear just as committed to their cause.

Seizing on the violence committed by some protesters, authorities have tried to portray all the demonstrators as extremists. But the public has shown little sign of fatigue. The movement has no leaders, and rather than continuously occupying the city, it relies on social media networking to launch periodic demonstrations. Perhaps most important, popular sentiment—especially among young people—has shifted sharply against Hong Kong’s leadership and Beijing.”

Alice Su / Los Angeles Times

August 18 Sunday “For more than two months, huge numbers of Hong Kongers have taken to the streets in mostly peaceful rallies demanding that their freedoms be protected. Today, undeterred by a downpour and only limited permission from police, some 1.7 million people again flooded the city’s streets, according to the Civil Human Rights Front, which organized the demonstration.”

Timothy McLaughlin / The Atlantic “The organisers had applied to lead participants along a two-and-a-half mile stretch of downtown Hong Kong, past the government offices.

Police objected in advance, approving only a static assembly at Victoria Park. In the end a march proceeded anyway. It could hardly have done otherwise: rivers of people were flowing into the park and out of it.”

The Economist

“To our “peaceful, rational and non-violent” companions. It is our turn to march peacefully with you for the day! Thank you for not giving up on us and the continual support by being on our sides despite our disagreement over our methodology. 8.18 no more divide between the peaceful and the valiant.”

“As night fell, a large number of riot police gathered at the liaison office, home to Beijing’s representative in Hong Kong. But protesters seemed committed to avoiding confrontation, warning one another that it might be a trap. Some protesters in a crowd of several hundred youths around the Legislative Council building urged one another to go home rather than clash with police. They linked arms and walked away from the building, chanting, “We win if we leave.” By midnight most had dispersed, leaving the city with its first weekend free of tear gas in a month.”

Alice Su & Ryan Ho / Los Angeles Times

August 23 Friday Hong Kong Way “On 23 August, the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way—a human chain linking the capitals of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to demand the Baltic republics’ independence from the Soviet Union—more than 200,000 people came out on to the streets of Hong Kong to form the “Hong Kong Way”. From the crowded streets of Wan Chai on Hong Kong island, to the famous waterfront of Tsim Sha Tsui, to the suburbs of the New Territories, to the peak of Lion Rock, people linked hands in a continuous human chain that some said measured 60km in total.”

Antony Dapiran / The Guardian

“Lion Rock hill, which is one of Hong Kong’s most famous views, was illuminated as protesters gathered there to form a human chain. Lights from its peak were visible from across the city as demonstrators used their phones as torches.”

Jessie Yeung & Ivana Kottasova / CNN

August 24 Saturday Anti-surveillance Protest “On the 12th straight weekend of protests, black-clad demonstrators protested Chinese government surveillance armed with bamboo poles and baseball bats. They marched against “smart lamp posts” that was sparked by surveillance fears.”

Isobel van Hagen / Newsweek

“Some protestors view the lampposts with suspicion and believe they are actually surveillance tools—they are fitted with sensors, closed-circuit cameras, and data networks. About 50 of them have already been installed, and Hong Kong has plans to install 200 more.”

Ephrat Livni / Quartz “Protesters used an electric saw to slice through the bottom of the lamppost, while others pulled ropes tied around it. The demonstrators, who were holding up umbrellas to hide their identities, cheered as it toppled over.”

ABC News

“Political group Demosisto analysed the components in a Facebook post and said that TickTack’s Bluetooth GPS locator “had the same name” as the lampposts linked to Shanghai Sansi. TickTack responded by distancing themselves from the mainland company, saying that it had no affiliation with Shanghai Sansi and that the two executives of TickTack were born and bred in Hong Kong.”

Holmes Chan / Hong Kong Free Press

August 25 Sunday Tsuen-Kwan-Tsing March “The protest on Sunday 25 August, in the working-class district of Tsuen Wan, came after the first full week without incident since June. Some had hoped that the worst of the violence was over. A warning shot was fired by a police officer—the first time a live round has been used since the demonstrations broke out in June. Also for the first time, water cannon made an appearance. And a 12-year-old was among dozens arrested—the youngest detained to date.”

Saira Asher & Grace Tsoi / BBC

“The confrontations in the Tsuen Wan area followed a peaceful march by over 10,000 people. But in a pattern that has been established for months, more aggressive protesters began building barriers on city streets using sidewalk railings and bamboo poles. Soon, large numbers of police officers in riot gear arrived. By early evening, the air was swirling with tear gas. The police unleashed water cannons for the first time against barriers and in the general direction of protesters.”

Austin Ramzy & Raymond Zhang / The New York Times

“The crowd largely stayed put behind the barricades in the midst of choking smoke and some threw gas canisters back at the police.

Protesters also threw bricks and Molotov cocktails at the police, with flames seen on the road between the two sides. After the dispersal, protesters in small groups spread to several districts across the city late into the night, causing disruptions as they led the police in a game of cat and mouse.�

Verna Yu / The Guardian

"Return police to the people.

A political solution to a political problem.”

“At 3 p.m., just as a separate anti-government protest kicked off in Kwai Chung, the Police Relatives Connection—a group seeking to mend ties between officers and the public in light of repeated clashes and violence in recent months marched from Central’s Edinburgh Square to the Chief Executive’s Office in Admiralty. They then proceed to the police headquarters in Wanchai. They delivered letters to each office. Organiser says about 400 people show up for rally, held in Central in heavy rain.”

Elson Tong / Hong Kong Free Press

“I am a police relative and also a protestor. Five demands, not one less. Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times.”

“Junior Police Officers' Association chairman Lam Chi-wai said none of the family members they knew had any plans to join the rally. But the demonstrators, while refusing to identify themselves, said they were facing “white terror” and suppression because of their position.”

Kimmy Chung / South China Morning Post

“We have to admit, some of the police actions in recent times really raise suspicions of an abuse of powerI hope one day children can walk on the street again and say ‘hello, uncle officer’.”

“At around 7:30 p.m., a group of police officers encountered a group of protesters. Holding up a shield, one of the officers fired a live shot into the sky. It was the first time live ammunition had been used in 12 weeks of protests. In an instant, five other officers drew their guns and advanced on the protesters. As the police advanced, a middle-aged man wearing a vest and shorts and armed only with an umbrella, was kicked by one of them, as he knelt begging them not to shoot.�

Saira Asher & Grace Tsoi / BBC

“Six officers drew their service weapons because their lives were under threat…to protect themselves, other officers and people at the scene.

One officer fired a warning shot into the air, which did not hit anyone. The officer acted heroically and with restraint, and the force used under the circumstances was necessary and reasonable.”

Yolanda Yu, Senior Superintendent of the Police Public Relations Branch

August 28 Wednesday Cathay Pacific Rally

“Trade union members in Hong Kong rallied Wednesday against the city's flagship Cathay Pacific Airways, which has fired several employees in the past two weeks after coming under pressure from China over their links to pro-democracy protests. Cathay's situation encapsulates the very fears that sparked the protests—that China is encroaching on the freedoms and separate legal system that Hong Kong maintains under a "one country, two systems" framework. The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions said that 20 Cathay employees have been dismissed or forced to resign, including pilots, cabin crew, ground staff and managers.”

Johnson Lai / AP News

“China's Civil Aviation Administration ordered Cathay on August 9 to provide a list of employees who were involved in a recent protest.

According to the Taiwan News, CEO Rupert Hogg provided the list— but it included only one name: his own. [On August 16] his resignation was first announced by CCTV, China's state-run television station, 30 minutes before Cathay Pacific announced Hogg had stepped down.”

Matt Keeley / Newsweek

“Cathay Dragon union leader Rebecca Sy says she was questioned by bosses about three Facebook posts and then told she had been dismissed from her job as flight attendant Airline’s parent company earlier warned employees that expressing support for protests on social media could breach rules of mainland aviation authority.”

Danny Lee / South China Morning Post

“Global businesses operating in Hong Kong and the mainland have been pressured to align themselves with Beijing over the protests. China’s state media has urged the Big Four accounting firms—PwC, Deloitte, KPMG and EY—to ‘fire employees found to have the wrong stance on the Hong Kong situation.’”

Sui-Lee Wee / The New York Times

August 28 Wednesday night #MeToo Rally “A crowd of 30,000 Hongkongers lit the Chater Garden purple with their mobile phones on Wednesday evening to protest against the sexual violence perpetrated by Hong Kong police during their crackdown on the ongoing anti-extradition protests.”

Zin Kao / Taiwan News “The Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women conducted a survey on Aug. 21 and found that 46 out of 221 respondents reported facing sexual violence during protests since June. Half of those 46 people said this was at the hands of the police or other law enforcement officials. The police have routinely denied the allegations.”

Meera Navlakha / VICE

“I will show to the government that we are not afraid.

The more you suppress us, the stronger we stand.”

“The female protester, who broke into tears several times, received a huge ovation as thousands chanted “Add Oil”, a common protest slogan.

She accused the police of lying and abusing their power. Police officials denied the allegations [yesterday] and claimed to have video footage to disprove the woman’s account.

Eight protesters shared experiences of sexual violence with the audience.

A woman who had her underwear exposed when she was being dragged away by police during a Tin Shui Wai protest earlier this month said she was insulted by officers, including being called a prostitute.”

Raquel Carvalho / South China Morning Post

August 30 Friday “On Friday, Hong Kong police detained pro-democracy lawmakers and prominent activists, including Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow, student leaders of pro-democracy protests in 2014. The pair were charged with unlawful assembly and released on bail.”

Lily Kuo & Erin Hale / The Guardian “A statement from the pro-democracy Demosistō party said that 22-year-old Wong was “suddenly pushed into a private car on the street” near a subway station on the southern side of Hong Kong island. About an hour later, the party said Chow, also 22, was arrested at her home.

The arrests come at a highly sensitive time, with police having banned a large march that was due to take place tomorrow to call for universal suffrage. Meanwhile, another organizer of the march, Jimmy Sham, was attacked at a restaurant in central Kowloon yesterday. another activist, Max Chung, was attacked in Hong Kong’s northern suburbs by a group of men wielding metal rods.”

TIME

Eight people arrested: Andy Chan, Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, Rick Hui, Althea Suen, Cheng Chung-tai, Au Nok-hin, Jeremy Tam.

“I do not lead the Hong Kong protests, because no one person leads the protests. None of us have singular authority to call the shots here. But the government keeps throwing us in jail anyway.�

Joshua Wong, student activist

August 31 Saturday “Five years ago, a turning point for Hong Kong and China fell on August 31. That was when a top Chinese government body announced a plan for limited democracy in Hong Kong. Beijing’s decision fell considerably short of what democracy protesters were demanding that summer, and it set off a two-month occupation of several Hong Kong neighborhoods that came to be known as the Umbrella Movement.”

Keith Bradsher / The New York Times

“A major rally planned by the Civil Human Rights Front, which organized previous large-scale marches, was denied permission by police. People instead took to the streets for smaller wildcat marches in multiple areas.”

James Griffiths / CNN

“Events took a violent turn in the afternoon, when police fired tear gas and used water cannons laced with blue dye in their attempts to disperse protesters who were throwing objects and gasoline bombs at the main government headquarters. Protesters created a barricade of stadium chairs stretching across Hong Kong’s Hennessy Road, close to police headquarters, and set it ablaze in the early evening.”

Jenny Gathright & Emily Feng / NPR

“[At around 9:05 p.m.,] two live rounds were fired within five minutes of each other at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. Officers infiltrating demonstration had been noticed by protesters, who allegedly attacked them with sticks and poles and tried to grab a firearm. It was the second time live rounds were fired during 13 weeks of protests against the now-shelved extradition bill, but the first time a firearm was used by police operating undercover as protesters.�

Zoe Low / South China Morning Post

“Responding to a photograph which showed a man carrying a suspected firearm and throwing a Molotov cocktail, Tse said that the person was not an undercover police officer. Tse said police officers do not throw petrol bombs while on duty, and denounced attempts to smear the force.�

Holmes Chan / Hong Kong Free Press

“At about 11 p.m., police officers were seen chasing two men dressed in black inside the Prince Edward MTR Station. The officers caught the men and subdued them on the concourse floor. Video footage showed one man wearing a gas mask losing consciousness after being subdued by five or six police officers. He vomited before passing out, but the police officers turned the unconscious man from side to side, asked him to get up then dragged him along. Then the police officers pulled the man to the side...

...One of the first-aid volunteers asked the police to take off the man’s handcuffs, explaining that with the handcuffs on, it could worsen the man’s neck injury and make it difficult for him to breathe. But the police turned down the request. When more bystanders and protesters gathered and surrounded the officers, fearing the police would hurt the injured man, the officers held up peeper spray and warned them not to get any closer. Paramedics arrived 10 minutes later and asked the police to take off the man’s handcuffs.”

Almen Chui / Asia Times

“TV news footage showed riot police beating people with their batons inside train carriages at Prince Edward station and deploying pepper spray, with many passengers seen to be cowering and bleeding. The government claimed in a statement that protesters were vandalising stations and attacking members of the public and officers had entered MTR stations to ‘stop all violent acts and arrest offenders.’”

Holmes Chan / Hong Kong Free Press

On August 31, police fired 241 tear gas canisters, 92 rubber bullets, one beanbag bullet, 10 sponge rouds, and two live rounds as warning shots.

159 people in total were arrested over the weekend. 63 people, aged 13 to 36, were arrested at Prince Edward and Mong Kok stations. Both stations remained closed throughout Sunday.

September 1 Sunday “On Sunday, demonstrators began congregating at Hong Kong International Airport in a new effort to obstruct access to the critical Asian travel hub. A court injunction obtained after the airport protests last month allows only ticketed passengers and airport employees to enter the main terminals. But demonstrators gathered outside near the entrances, chanting, “Fight for freedom! Stand with Hong Kong.” Some used their cars to block lanes of traffic.”

Austin Ramzy & Amy Qin / The New York Times

“A group of masked protesters stormed into Terminal 1 and shattered a glass door around 1:20 p.m. before airport police pushed them back.

Outside the terminals, protesters jammed the streets with luggage trolleys and metal barriers.”

TIME

“Flights were delayed as riot police moved in and protesters fled.

Protesters regrouped at nearby Tung Chung subway station, where they scribbled graffiti, broke counter windows, smashed CCTV cameras, flooded the floor with a fire hose and set fire to a barricade. At one point, protesters burned the Chinese national flag, a red line sure to rouse anger in China, where state media condemn the protesters as secessionists, mobsters, rioters and criminals.”

Alice Su / Los Angeles Times

“At around 4 p.m., the riot police were set to begin making arrests. To escape, protesters decided to walk five kilometers to Tung Chung, a nearby suburban residential district with subway and bus connections.

Along the way, some set up barricades to stop riot police from chasing after them. A few of them also threw objects and iron bars to the subway rails, and the MTR further suspended trains running from the airport to downtown.

Without the subway, there are only a few options to leave Tung Chung —either take a ferry to Tuen Mun or a bus to Mui Wo where there is a ferry to Central. However, these options were too risky as the riot police would be waiting for them at the piers. Hundreds of protesters decided to walk another 12.6 kilometers to Yan-O station or 23.6 kilometers to Lantau Toll Plaza, where bus service was still available.”

Oiwan Lam / The News Lens

September 2 Monday Student Strike “It’s the first day back for students after the summer break, but many high school and university students have skipped class and protested.

Some workers also went on strike today. During their lunch break, medical staff at Queen Mary Hospital formed a human chain to show their support for the pro-democracy cause. Thousands of protesters gathered in three locations across the city, including two on Hong Kong Island: in Tamar Park, Admiralty, and Edinburgh Place, Central.”

Julia Hollingsworth & Caitlin Hu / CNN “Organisers say 10,000 pupils from 200 secondary schools did not turn up for the first day for the new school year. The student action comes on the same day as a call for a broad two-day strike and large rally.”

BBC

“All of them donned surgical masks to protect their identity, although they expected their legal and relatively small gathering would not invite a police crackdown. On the stage, a black banner in Chinese summed up their rallying cry: “Without a future, why bother go to school?”’

Violet Law / Aljazeera

“I can skip homework for today, but if I lose Hong Kong what’s left for me?”

“Lady Liberty Hong Kong� at The Chinese University of Hong Kong A four-metre-tall statue, built by an anonymous group of artists recruited through the LIHKG forum. On August 27, they reached HK$203,933 within six hours with 1,403 backers.

何以 這土地 淚再流 In angst, tears are shed o’er this Land 何以 令眾人 亦憤恨 With rage, fears are crushed, in arms we stand 昂首 拒默沉 吶喊聲 響透 We rise, undefiled, our voice shall never die 盼自由 歸於 這裡 As we yearn, our freedom nighs 何以 這恐懼 抹不走 With eyes blinded, long it comes the night 何以 為信念 從沒退後 In faith, banners high, we pledge to fight 何解 血在流 但邁進聲 響透 Our flesh, sacrificed, our blood shall write this song 建自由 光輝 香港 Free this Land, “Stand with Hong Kong!” 在 晚星 墜落 徬徨 午夜 Stars will fall, and darkness fills the air 迷霧裡 最遠處 吹來號角聲 Storms will break, bedazzled by our gallant flares! 捍自由 We shall strike 來齊集這裡 This perilous night 來全力抗對 Determined to fight 勇氣 智慧 也永不滅 With hope, with song, with dignity! 黎明來到 要光復 這香港 Glory enshrined, break our chains! Hold our lines! 同行兒女 為正義 時代革命 Freedom shall rise! Revolution of our Time! 祈求 民主 與自由 萬世都 不朽 Liberty thrives, rights divine, in our unending strides 我願 榮光 歸香港 Glory be to thee, Hong Kong!

《願榮光歸香港》

Lyrics from “Glory to Hong Kong”

On August 11, 54 protesters were taken to San Uk Ling Holding Center, which is near the border with mainland China. 31 of whom were later taken to hospital for medical treatment, including six suffering from bone fractures, one had a dislocated shoulder and four-part fractures of the proximal humerus.

Volunteer lawyers accused the police of deliberately taking arrested protesters to the primitive Holding Centre and making it difficult for families and legal workers to contact them.

Justices of the Peace and pro-democracy lawmakers have been denied entry. Many allegations have emerged of mistreatment of protesters in custody there.

As of September 10 Protest-related arrests: 1,347 Tear gas canisters used: 2,344 Rubber bullets fired: 487

“Weekly protests and chaos are now the norm in the city. These developments have generated huge discussion among Hong Kongers.

Some people say that Hong Kong has no future if protesters persist—and to an extent they are right. No one likes to live with constant violence, scheduled disruptions, or have tear gas thrown into their streets. But many Hong Kong residents who have participated in these demonstrations feel deeply that going to these great lengths are in the greater good and will help create a brighter future for Hong Kong.

Here is the lesser-known story about the Hong Kong protests: The fight behind closed doors at home and how likely it is to find someone with a very different point of view, whether an extradition bill supporter or people who are simply against the protests, in your own social circle.

Many protesters are putting their family relationships on the line by going out to protest. Some have chosen to hide their actual views to maintain peace at home and to show respect for their parents.

To quote journalism professor Yuen Chan on Twitter, “People say Hong Kong is dying, but what you’re seeing is a city refusing to die.” I see one that’s very much alive. The flame is flickering but it’s a light that’s refusing to be extinguished.”

Doris Lam / Channel News Asia

Five demands and not one less.

compiled on 9.12.2019 09:09 Taoyuan & Hong Kong @6amprojects we do not claim ownership of any content displayed not for sale