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Hong Kong democracy protests swell as Chinese celebrate National Day Hong Kong protest leaders threaten to occupy government buildings
(about 4 hours later)
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests will hit their highest numbers yet as China celebrates its National Day, the student leader who helped precipitate the demonstrations has said. Student leaders of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong warned on Wednesday that they would begin occupying government buildings if the region’s chief executive did not resign by the end of Thursday, amid growing uncertainty about where the demonstrations are headed.
Joshua Wong, of Scholarism, said: “The numbers today will definitely be bigger than yesterday,” as the protests continued into a sixth day and Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, insisted Beijing would not back down on new electoral rules that would allow the Communist party leadership to choose candidates for the region to vote on. There was a jubilant mood on the National Day public holiday as the protests continued, with more families among the crowd in Admiralty, the centre of the movement. Joshua Wong of student group Scholarism said he was certain it would be the biggest day yet and tens of thousands had already gathered by mid-afternoon. But by late night the numbers appeared to be down from the same time on the previous day.
The Hong Kong chief executive is currently elected by a 1,200-member committee but the protesters say Beijing has reneged on an agreement to grant them open elections by 2017. Lester Shum, vice secretary of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, told a news conference: “Leung Chun-ying must step down. If he doesn’t resign by tomorrow we will step up our actions, such as by occupying several important government buildings.”
“We hope citizens will join the civil disobedience, will keep safe and will rely on the principle of non-violence. We hope they can invite more of their friends and family members to voice their opinions on universal suffrage and [their wish that] CY Leung should step down as soon as possible,” Wong said. He added that demonstrators would not occupy “essential” government offices, such as hospitals or social welfare offices.
Earlier, Wong and other activists turned their backs in a symbolic gesture of protest as the flag was raised at the annual National Day ceremony – marking the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 – attended by the chief executive. He said there was no room for dialogue with Leung but that he hoped government representatives would come to speak to the masses, adding: “This is a movement of Hong Kongers and not led by any specific group.”
Chan Kin-man, co-founder of Occupy Central – which initially proposed the campaign of civil disobedience – said he and his colleagues were still talking to student leaders about future actions, noting that the students’ protests last week had sparked the mass movement.
“As a partner we just want to know about the details, how it can be [done] in a peaceful manner and whether you can minimise disturbance to ordinary citizens. We trust students have thought about it, but we need time to think about the details,” he said.
“We must respect their views. As different organisations we have liberty to launch our own actions. But we [will] very much try to have a concerted effort … We believe the people of Hong Kong want to see solidarity and want to see the problem resolved immediately.”
He repeated that “there must be a limit” to the occupation of the streets, and suggested Friday would be a test because it was a working day, but added: “I’m quite sure in the coming days, people will still come out.”
Earlier, Wong and other student activists turned their backs in a symbolic gesture of protest as the Chinese flag was raised at the annual National Day ceremony – marking the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 – attended by the chief executive. Pro-Beijing groups also joined muted celebrations in the city to mark the day.
Leung did not refer to the mass movement in his speech at a reception, but said: “It is understandable that different people may have different ideas about a desirable reform package. But it is definitely better to have universal suffrage than not.Leung did not refer to the mass movement in his speech at a reception, but said: “It is understandable that different people may have different ideas about a desirable reform package. But it is definitely better to have universal suffrage than not.
“It is definitely better to have the [chief executive] elected by 5 million eligible voters than by 1,200 people. And it is definitely better to cast your vote at the polling station than to stay home and watch on television the 1,200 members of the election committee cast their votes.”“It is definitely better to have the [chief executive] elected by 5 million eligible voters than by 1,200 people. And it is definitely better to cast your vote at the polling station than to stay home and watch on television the 1,200 members of the election committee cast their votes.”
In Beijing, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, did not comment on the biggest challenge to the Communist party for decades, but vowed in a National Day speech to “steadfastly safeguard” Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability. While the protests have been sparked by Beijing’s insistence that nominations for candidates must be tightly controlled, underneath that lie broader concerns about the future of the region and its ability to protect its identity and freedoms.
Crowds in the core protest zone around government offices at Admiralty had already soared into the tens of thousands by mid-afternoon. Overnight, the protesters of the “umbrella revolution” stood through a thunderstorm with umbrellas previously used to ward off teargas and shelter from the sun. In Beijing, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, did not comment on the biggest challenge to the Communist party for decades, but vowed in a speech to “steadfastly safeguard” Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.
A new protest area also sprang up in Tsim Sha Tsui, a tourist hub known for its museums. Agnes Chow, one of the leaders of the student group Scholarism, said she hoped the government would look past the day’s celebrations to see “the anger and frustration of the Hong Kong people and that we don’t have our basic democratic rights.”
Meanwhile, pro-Beijing groups joined National Day celebrations in the city. She said she could not predict when the movement would end because it was not controlled by organisations or led by a student group, but had emerged from ordinary citizens.
While the protests have been sparked by Beijing’s insistence that universal suffrage for the 2017 election of the next chief executive must be tightly controlled, underneath that lie broader concerns about the future of the region and its ability to protect its identity and freedoms. The plan on the government side appears to be to simply sit out the protests.
The demonstrations have developed their own life, with many of those attending saying they did not identify with Occupy Central or the student groups. “If [Leung] believes that if he keeps on dragging on without answering to our demands then people will go away, forget about it,” added Chan.
Police have stepped back, maintaining a discreet presence, after the use of teargas and pepper spray at the weekend inflamed rather than dispersed the protests.