Politics

Protesters gathered at Central tonight, waving Catalonia flags to rally in support of freedom and democracy in Catalonia, after some of Catalan leaders, such as former foreign minister Raül Romeva was put behind bars for calling for independence.  Catalonia is a semi-autonomous region in the north-east of Spain. The region has about 7.5 million people, with their own flag, language, parliament and anthem. Region stirred up constitutional crisis when the people demanded independence from Spain. The Hong Kong-Catalonia Solidarity Assembly started at 7 pm in Chater Garden tonight. Videos of police brutality and interviews of Catalan protesters are shown in the event. People brought along Catalonia flags with different banners and signs.  The organizing committee announced three demands, which include calling for peaceful response to protests from Spanish government, condemning brutal force by Spanish police against protesters and quelling any imprisonment for one’s political beliefs. There were heated debates online about joining the Assembly, fearing such action would jeopardize the passing of  Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act and weaken America's support to the city. It's because the US is supporting Spain’s government in the Catalonia independence dispute. On the other hand, people think that supporting solidarity does not equal to support independence on the popular online forum LIHKG.  Waving the yellow-red-striped flag is Mr. Chan, 23, who was wearing a mask in the rally is ignoring the mask ban. He believes that supporting Catalonia is showing sympathy as the Catalan protesters are being ripped off of their freedom and democracy, same as what has happened in Hong Kong.  "When we asked for international communities to stand with us, we also have the responsibilities to rally support for those people being oppressed," said the masked student. "Prison is not a solution." A woman from Australia who was identified as …

In August, Zoey Leung, 19, got her first threatening phone call.  The anonymous caller accused her of being "a rioter who has ruined Hong Kong" and she was warned to "bear the consequences". Ms Leung, vice president of Hong Kong Baptist University student union and active in the ongoing pro-democracy protests, said that other student leaders got the same phone call.  Next, insulting leaflets written in abusive language that specifically targeted Ms Leung were posted all over her neighbourhood in Sai Kung district. The flyers used similar language to the phone call. Ms Leung is worried about her and her family’s safety. It also ruined her family’s relationship with their neighbours, she said. "I think I am an easy target," Ms Leung said. "There are people who would like the movement to stop because they think I am one of the leaders." Other student leaders have reported attacks. Davin Wong, the acting president of the University of Hong Kong Student Union, resigned from his post and fled the city after being attacked by masked men in Wan Chai at a bus stop on Aug. 30, he said in his resignation letter.  And in early September, the acting president of Hong Kong Polytechnic’s student union was struck in the face during an on-campus protest.  "Those thugs are threatening, and they use violence to hit us and scold us, doing whatever they like," Ms. Leung said. Ms Leung said she thinks she was followed by police in June, just after local university students held a press conference to announce a general strike.  HKBU student union president, Keith Fong, who was arrested for alleged possession of an offensive weapon, said he thought he was also being followed before his first arrest.  Local media outlet FactWire, published a report showing CCTV footage of five …

Tens of thousands gathered on Saturday night at Tamar Park in Admiralty where the police fired tear gas five years ago, which triggered the Umbrella Revolution. Amidst the anti-extradition protests that are taking this city by storm, commemorating the day that started Hong Kong's struggle for political reform and autonomy holds more significance than previous years. "We will not announce the success of the protest until the five demands are fully achieved," the convener of the Civil Human Rights Front, Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit said on stage. "We should keep on fighting for our rights and genuine 'Dual Universal Suffrage'."  The Umbrella Revolution — an 81 days long protest — occurred in 2014 when people became unsatisfied with the Standing Committee's decision on electoral reform regarding future elections of Chief Executive and Legislative Council. Citizens took to the streets to express their anger but was met by tear gas and police crackdowns. Protesters then occupied multiple crucial urban areas and brought the city to a standstill in hopes of getting genuine 'Universal Suffrage'.  Though their objective eventually did not succeed, many believe that the political awakening this city had experienced five years ago gave rise to the current wave of mass social movements. Fresh memories from the ongoing anti-extradition protests and sentiments for the Umbrella Revolution combined to create a synergy that filled Tamar Park with black-clad demonstrators of all ages and walks of life. "The Umbrella Revolution and the anti-extradition bill protest have both taught us the importance of standing together hand in hand," said Ms. Chan, an elder lady who is in her sixties and supports the protests. She declined to provide her full name and was observing aside peacefully. Concerned about being arrested by the police, she decided to dress in other colors instead of black.  Ms. Chan calls the current protests …

Hong Kong's embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held her first Community Dialogue Session on Thursday night at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai, meeting over 130 randomly picked citizens from some 20,000 applications. The public dialogue was among one of the four initiatives Lam had announced earlier on September 4 to alleviate public discontent sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill, as anti-government protests reach its 16th week. The two-hour session kicked off at 7pm amid heavy police presence, while hundreds of black-clad protesters gathered outside the venue -  forming human chains, holding placards and chanting slogans such as "Stand with Hong Kong, fight for freedom". Participants were banned from bringing umbrellas, gas masks or helmets - the trademark protective gear commonly used by anti-government protesters in Hong Kong's summer of discontent.  "The unrest was sparked by the government's decision to amend the bill. Therefore, this should be our biggest responsibility to initiate a direct dialogue. This is not a PR show. We want to find solutions to initiate change for the betterment of our society," said Lam in her opening remarks. The launch of an independent inquiry to investigate into the police's use of force has been at the centre of the discussion, while multiple speakers also raised concerns about allegations of police violation of human rights when detaining protestors in San Uk Ling Holding Centre. At least three participants have shown their support to Hong Kong's "One Country, Two Systems", but some said have already lost trust in the police force. "Hong Kong independence is not feasible in One Country, two systems," said Carrie Lam. She added that the five demands cannot be fulfilled as some of them violate the bottomline of "One Country, Two Systems".  A few participants don't think the dialogue session would have much …

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held her first Community Dialogue Session at 7 p.m.today at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai, meeting 150 randomly picked citizens from over 20,000 applications. [22:35] In an announcement on their official website, the police "warns protestors in the vicinity of Queen Elizabeth Stadium to stop illegal acts". They also urged the public to stay clear of that area and said that the protestors have "blocked the entrance of Queen Elizabeth Stadium, preventing certain participants of an event from leaving". [21:37] Protestors have set up barricades on Queen's Road East at the back door of Queen Elizabeth Stadium. [21:30] The dialogue has ended. The host reminded participants that they can leave their contacts for an "in-depth dialogue session" while some participants chanted "five demands, not one less". [21:20] Dozens of Riot police are heading towards Oi Kwan Road under a protesting crowd chanting "gangsters" as they passed by. [21:15] From a women who believes this to be a political performance: "I am afraid that you have missed the best timing for a dialogue. 1 million demonstrators, 2 million demonstrators, Lennon Walls everywhere, human chains, class boycotts, strikes, shops boycotts, MTR boycotts — all this is public opinion, but it feels as if you don't know that all this happened." [21:06] From a Secondary 6 student: "How have you felt, while the rest of us suffer from sleepless nights? More than a thousand arrested and 9 who took their own lives, yet you only care about broken MTR machines. Every time when something happens, you only know how to say 'condemn'." [20:55] A women in a burgundy blouse makes an appeal to young people: No matter success or failure, the future is yours. So when you fight for what you want with your …