Brutal weekend of violence as Beijing prepares for 70th anniversary of communist rule
Nicolle Liu in Hong Kong
Police made a series of arrests on Sunday, ahead of mass demonstrations to mark the 70th anniversary of communist rule in China on Tuesday. © Kin Cheung/AP
Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong clashed with police for the third day running on Sunday as they gear up for what are expected to be mass demonstrations to mark the 70th anniversary of communist rule in China on October 1.
The brutal scenes — in which police at one point fired a warning shot with live ammunition, according to a witness — came as supporters of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement rallied in other cities around the world over the weekend, including Sydney, Berlin and London.
Protesters in the Asian financial hub on Sunday threw Molotov cocktails and vandalised government buildings and underground railway stations. Some also burned banners put up to mark the forthcoming national day of the People’s Republic of China. Police responded with tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons.
“Just as Mao Zedong said, when there is suppression, there will be resistance,” said a protester who identified himself only as Ken. He was standing with a group of about 70 people waving the flags of various countries. “We are here to tell the world we have to fight against authoritarian rule.”
The Communist party is planning to mark the 70th anniversary of its regime with its biggest ever military parade to show its citizens and the rest of the world China’s growing military prowess.
Protesters on Sunday hurled bricks at government buildings and vandalised stations of the city’s underground railway operator. © FAZRY ISMAIL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
But even as the power of China’s President Xi Jinping reaches its zenith, the Hong Kong protests are emerging as the biggest pro-democracy rebellion on Chinese soil since the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations.
The protests started as opposition to an extradition bill that would have allowed suspects to be sent to China for trial but have grown to include demands for universal suffrage for the city.
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, who will lead an elite government delegation from the territory to join in the national day celebrations in Beijing, has withdrawn the bill and tried to start a dialogue with pro-democracy activists. But this has failed to satisfy protesters.
“We are not afraid of being arrested,” said a protester on Sunday, who was preparing petrol bombs with a group on a flyover next to Hong Kong’s central government office complex.
The violence on Sunday followed fierce clashes a day earlier, when protesters gathered to mark the fifth anniversary of the territory’s last major pro-democracy campaign, the so-called Umbrella Movement.
“We’re here tonight because we regret not standing up earlier and because we want the world to know we won’t give up on Hong Kong, our home,” said Andy, 25, an accountant who attended the Saturday protests.
Anti-government protesters take part in a flash mob commemorating the 5th anniversary of the 'Umbrella Revolution' in Hong Kong © FAZRY ISMAIL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
China has desisted so far from overt military intervention in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, some protesters had a sense of foreboding.
“Hong Kong and mainland China are like two parallel worlds, so different,” said Geoff Wong, a social worker, at Saturday’s protest. “But China cannot allow this to continue and they are already increasing their control over Hong Kong.”
A fireworks display organised for the 70th anniversary has already been cancelled, with the Hong Kong government citing public safety concerns.
Additional reporting by Ravi Mattu, Sue-Lin Wong and George Hammond in Hong Kong
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