Hong Kong: Police Threat and Rain Couldn’t Stop People to Join the Protest

Hundreds of thousands of residents accumulated on Sunday 18 August for one more gigantic march in Hong Kong
The march had been carried due to over two months of sustained dissent in the territory, in spite of dangers of military power from Beijing and an escalating police crackdown on dissidents. Demonstrators are saying, that the protest has entered a pivotal moment: after unprecedented use of force by Hong Kong police including in residential neighbourhoods, violence between protesters and pro-establishment groups has lead to over 700 arrests and an increased pressure on companies. Hong Kong “can no longer stay silent.”
The Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) the organizer of the rally, in an open letter, said, “Over the last two months in Hong Kong, we’ve shed blood, sweat, and tears, Hong Kongers have endured enough humiliation by the Hong Kong Government and the Hong Kong Police.” The Civil Human Rights Front, which had previously organized marches in June and saw millions attend, now feared that attendance this time would be affected due to bad weather and the protester violence that has marred the movement over the past week. Their concerns appeared to be unfounded; however, as transit authorities began imposing special measures to manage the huge passenger flow in Hong Kong subway stops Sunday afternoon. The system was overwhelmed by the crush of people travelling to Victoria Park, the starting point of the rally. The large turnout, which forced the closure of roads and diverted traffic, was the latest indicator of widespread support for the pro-autonomy movement, even after ugly scenes at Hong Kong’s airport on Tuesday, where frenzied mobs effectively took two Chinese men hostage for a short time and blocked passengers from boarding planes. It also underscored protester resilience in the face of an escalating crackdown by authorities and rhetoric in Beijing that has sought to brand them as terrorists. China’s People’s Armed Police, a paramilitary force, have been practising crowd control tactics in Shenzhen, the Chinese city connected to Hong Kong, over the past week.
On Saturday, a spokesman for China’s ceremonial legislature condemned a a US lawmakers voicing support for the pro-democracy movement and claimed Hong Kong’s 7.5 million people and Chinese population as a whole rejected the actions of a “very small group of violent protesters”. Over the past week, state media outlets have published videos showing armoured troop carriers purportedly driving to Shenzhen, the south-eastern state that borders Hong Kong. Chinese officials have also released a series of threatening statements about Hong Kong’s protesters. They are claiming “terrorism” was emerging in the city.
>Alma Siddiqua