Protests as Hong Kong marks 20 years since handover

Blackleaf

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned against "impermissible" challenges to Beijing's authority over Hong Kong.

Mr Xi was speaking at the swearing-in of the territory's new leader Carrie Lam, as Hong Kong marked 20 years since its handover to China from Britain.

On Saturday afternoon, after Mr Xi had left Hong Kong, thousands of people took part in an annual march calling for greater democracy.

Xi Jinping warns Hong Kong over sovereignty 'red line'


BBC News
1 July 2017


Carrie Lam shakes hands with President Xi after swearing an oath of office in Hong Kong

Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned against "impermissible" challenges to Beijing's authority over Hong Kong.

Mr Xi was speaking at the swearing-in of the territory's new leader Carrie Lam, as Hong Kong marked 20 years since its handover to China from Britain.

On Saturday afternoon, after Mr Xi had left Hong Kong, thousands of people took part in an annual march calling for greater democracy.

During Mr Xi's visit there was little opportunity for protest.

An earlier protest had led to clashes with pro-Beijing demonstrators.

Mr Xi's visit to the city - his first since becoming Chinese leader in 2013 - came amid tight police security.

Several people were detained in the morning, when a small group of pro-democracy activists clashed with pro-Beijing demonstrators close to the site where the lavish ceremony took place.

Organisers said 60,000 people took part in the later pro-democracy march, though police said the figure was much lower.

Heavy rain affected the march, which started at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. Some protesters carried yellow umbrellas, a symbol of the demonstrations which gripped the city in 2014.

Lam Wing-kee, one of the five Hong Kong booksellers who went missing in 2015 and re-surfaced in detention on the mainland, addressed the march.


One protester carried a cardboard cut-out of President Xi carrying a yellow umbrella

The Chinese leader oversaw the swearing in of Ms Lam, the newly-elected chief executive of the territory, along with the rest of her cabinet. She is Hong Kong's first female leader.

In a speech he said that Hong Kong needed to "improve its systems to uphold national sovereignty, security and development interests".

"Any attempt to endanger China's sovereignty and security, challenge the power of the central government... or use Hong Kong to carry out infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland is an act that crosses the red line and is absolutely impermissible," he said.

He added that Hong Kong now enjoyed more freedom than ever before.

But while the territory's Basic Law guarantees wide-ranging freedoms under the "one country, two systems" formula, Beijing's refusal to grant universal suffrage has triggered sometimes violent unrest.

In Saturday morning's small-scale protests, pro-democracy party Demosisto said police had arrested five of its members, and four members from the League of Social Democrats.

Among those said by the group to have been arrested was Joshua Wong, the leader of the so-called umbrella protest movement.

During the ceremony, the flags of China and Hong Kong were raised alongside one another to mark the 20-year anniversary of the city's handover of British rule.

Helicopters flew overhead as onlookers cheered at the ceremony in Golden Bauhinia Square, central Hong Kong.

On Friday, an official protest zone near the convention centre where Mr Xi was guest of honour at an anniversary banquet and variety performance was heavily patrolled, as demonstrators gathered chanting "end one-party dictatorship".


Helicopters pass the flags of China and Hong Kong at Golden Bauhinia Square


The flags of China and Hong Kong are raised during a ceremony on Saturday

There is growing concern that the Chinese central government is undermining Hong Kong's more politically liberal traditions, despite its promise to give it a high degree of autonomy.

Joshua Wong and 25 other activists were arrested on Wednesday for "breaking the 'public nuisance' law" after climbing into a golden sculpture of a bauhinia flower, Hong Kong's emblem.

The sculpture, which sits by the city's harbour front, was a gift from China and an iconic landmark symbolising the handover.

Slammed to the ground - Juliana Liu, BBC News, Hong Kong correspondent



It was meant to be a routine demonstration by pro-democracy protesters.

The leaders of the League of Social Democrats and Demosisto had gathered to make their way to the square in the Wanchai district where the flag-raising ceremony was taking place.

They were demanding greater voting rights for Hong Kong, as well the immediate release of the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

But without warning, scuffles began between the demonstrators and the police. Faces were slammed to the ground. And then pro-Beijing supporters turned up, waving flags and blaring patriotic music. Each side was shouting abuse at the other.

The tussle went on for more than an hour, with it ending only after the leaders of the pro-democracy demonstration were led away by police, who called it an illegal gathering.

Xi Jinping warns Hong Kong over sovereignty 'red line' - BBC News
 

Blackleaf

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They were not really obliged to hand back any of it. The decision should have been left up to the citizens.

The 7 million people of Hong Kong were not made aware of what discussions were taking place regarding the handover and nor were they consulted on the final decision. Now they are being ruled by a country led by a man who is clamping down on human rights (yet his state visit to Britain in 2015 had none of the protesters that Trump's is having).

1st July 1997 officially marks the end of the British Empire. I remember watching the handover ceremony live on TV and watching tears well up in the eyes of the last Hong Kong governor Chris Patten.
 

Twin_Moose

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Do YOU even know what the protestors are protesting about in Hong Kong?

They are protesting the fact that China is trying to take away the freedoms and liberties granted to them by the terms of the UK-China lease turn over agreement. They are supporting the US trade war with China, seeing it as taking China to task for their lying, cheating, and stealing on agreements and contracts. Since China is blaming the protests as the US's fault the Hong Kong protestors are flaunting it in the faces of Chinese nationalists.


Do you know what the protests are about?
 

Blackleaf

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You have to laugh at China telling Britain to "stop interfering" in its domestic affairs when it's dishonouring the treaty the two nations signed for the Hong Kong handover.

Sorry, China. But it's Britain's business, too.
 

Serryah

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They are protesting the fact that China is trying to take away the freedoms and liberties granted to them by the terms of the UK-China lease turn over agreement. They are supporting the US trade war with China, seeing it as taking China to task for their lying, cheating, and stealing on agreements and contracts. Since China is blaming the protests as the US's fault the Hong Kong protestors are flaunting it in the faces of Chinese nationalists.


Do you know what the protests are about?


Actually no, it's not this that prompted the protests, though a lot of this is also INCLUDED in the protests.

Try again.


Yes, I do, but I'll answer in a separate post. :)
 

Serryah

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You have to laugh at China telling Britain to "stop interfering" in its domestic affairs when it's dishonouring the treaty the two nations signed for the Hong Kong handover.

Sorry, China. But it's Britain's business, too.


Extradition. The protests in Hong Kong are mostly over the new 'law' which the current leadership tried to implement (and they stopped it though the protestors want it fully removed and not to be brought up again) that would turn over people who committed crimes in Hong Kong but aren't native to HK, over to their home countries. While in theory a good idea, the thought that this would see people in HK turned over to China for real and imagined crimes and undermine their distinctiveness from Chinese society and their freedoms, is what is pushing the protests. It's escalated to include police brutality and rioting from the protestors.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Hong_Kong_anti-extradition_bill_protests Full background here.


And Blackie, when Britain turned over HK to the Chinese, they LOST any influences into HK's society and people and how to deal with them. By honoring the treaty, they turned their back on their colony.

It's not Britain's business anymore except as another nation in the world to try and stop the Chinese Government from being itself - the anti-human, anti-human rights, anti, well, everything decent. Britain's voice is but the voice of dozens of countries, and no longer the single say in what happens.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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This is going exactly as it should.

The continuation and increase of political liberty and democracy is being demanded by the people affected.

It's not pretty, but it beats hell out of being "given freedom" by some outside power.
 

Twin_Moose

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Extradition. The protests in Hong Kong are mostly over the new 'law' which the current leadership tried to implement (and they stopped it though the protestors want it fully removed and not to be brought up again) that would turn over people who committed crimes in Hong Kong but aren't native to HK, over to their home countries. While in theory a good idea, the thought that this would see people in HK turned over to China for real and imagined crimes and undermine their distinctiveness from Chinese society and their freedoms, is what is pushing the protests. It's escalated to include police brutality and rioting from the protestors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Hong_Kong_anti-extradition_bill_protests Full background here.
And Blackie, when Britain turned over HK to the Chinese, they LOST any influences into HK's society and people and how to deal with them. By honoring the treaty, they turned their back on their colony.
It's not Britain's business anymore except as another nation in the world to try and stop the Chinese Government from being itself - the anti-human, anti-human rights, anti, well, everything decent. Britain's voice is but the voice of dozens of countries, and no longer the single say in what happens.

I guess I wasn't wrong after all I just worded it different than you would like
 

Danbones

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...and there is Burnme Sanders cheering on the peasants who are revolting ( while holding his nose) against the very form of government HE represents.
;)
You can't make this sh!t up!

Bernie Sanders

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The demonstrations in Hong Kong are an inspiration to us all. It is the right of all people to protest for a better future. We stand with these brave protesters and call on the Chinese government to refrain from violence.
https://twitter.com/berniesanders/status/1163437741389930501?lang=en
(The government that killed 45 million [people in 4 years after taking their guns and who has abortion vans and sells religious people's organs...where is tank boy?...etc)

Sanders defends past praise of Fidel Castro
https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-bo...5-sanders-defends-past-praise-of-fidel-castro
(Heh, UNtrudie's dad...and may the devil take him to hell for it too.)