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free-hk-blog · 4 years

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For Basic Human Rights

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION

Hello all,

Welcome to this page. If you are on this page, I’m assuming it’s because you managed to get a hold of one of my Free HK Hello Kitty Postcards.

If you haven’t been clued in yet towards all the Hong Kong Protests, this is the page for you. Unfortunately, due to the language barrier and the lack of media coverage, I’m sure a lot of people haven’t heard about all the things happening in Hong Kong since there is almost no access to it.

To give you a short background of the protests, it all began with an Extradition Bill. It was first considered when Chan Tong-kai, a Hong Kong man, murdered his pregnant girlfriend, Poon Hiu-Wing in Taiwan. Stuffing her body into a suitcase, then dumping it into the thicket of bushes near a subway station in Taipei. After doing so he fled back to Hong Kong. He was then arrested. However, when authorities tried to prosecute him, they found that they were unable to, due to loopholes in the law. [2]

The Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, decided to pass a law that would allow anyone who committed a crime in Hong Kong to be extradited to China. [3] Instead of gaining the support of the people of Hong Kong, it caused concern and fear.

What does being extradited actually mean?

“Extradition is an act where one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to their law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement process between the two jurisdictions and depends on the arrangements made between them.”

This is due to China’s previous dishonesty towards keeping to the One Country two systems agreement with the United Kingdom, Hong Kong was colonised previously by the British and was handed back to China in July 1st, 1997. (Before you think that Hong Kong is better off being colonised by the British, there is a whole bit of history behind that and lots of corruption. After all, Hong Kong was obtained from China in an unjust way. I’ve put a link below for your to read up on the History of Hong Kong, [1]) China has been trying to make it seem that their One Country two systems method will work through Hong Kong. However, it is terribly false. Hong Kong for starters does not even vote for our leader. Over the years since the hand over, Hong Kong citizens have felt and continue to feel that the mainland is closing in on them in subtle ways. In fact, they haven’t just been doing that for Hong Kong only, it’s been happening in the west, look how many things are marked “Made In China”. But, I digress.

Prior to the protests, citizens have previously took to marching on the streets during March and April to protest this corrupt bill.

The citizens of Hong Kong are fearful that it would be used in a corrupt way and would be a gateway for China to extradite and charge anyone in Hong Kong they find that they disagree with. Hong Kongers took to the streets, (most of them in their teens) protesting the Bill on the 9th of June. They were peacefully protesting despite being tear gased, being shot at by rubber bullets and pepper sprayed. However, the police still labelled them as “rioters” rather than “protestors”. For more information on the Extradition Bill, I will have a set of links beneath this post for you to read. [3][4]

Instead of retracting the bill and throwing it out, Carrie Lam persisted. Stating in an interview on the 12th of June, “I’ve never once thought that I’ve been doing this against my conscience. As I’ve said, we firmly believe we have been doing the right thing from the beginning. It’s not only responsible to the victim’s family. Now I can only say being responsible, I cannot promise the victim’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Poon, that the suspect that murdered their daughter can be brought to justice. If young people have taken action, and you don’t give them what you want, what then? To use a metaphor, I’m a mother too, I have two sons. If I let him have his way every time my son acts this way, I believe we will have a good relationship in the short term. But if I indulge in his wayward behaviour, he might regret it after he grows up. He will then ask me, “Mum, why didn’t you remind me back then?” To say I have sold out Hong Kong. How could I have? I grew up here with all other HongKongers. My love for this place has prompted me to make many personal sacrifices.” [5][6]

Watch the full video of the interview here

This caused anger through Hong Kong and specifically struck a chord with mothers in Hong Kong more angry as she basically compared the teenagers that are there to protest the Extradition Bill - peacefully, might I add - to children who are just whining, or acting out. This caused mothers to organise a march for themselves. However, no one would expect the event that would transpire on the 15th of June.

15th June

His name was Marco Leung.

He was only 35, described as “sunshine” by all friends and family and that he did charity work in his spare time. And all in all, a good guy.

When Carrie Lam proposed that she was suspending the bill on the 15th of June, rather than withdrawing the bill, Marco Leung Ling-Kit climbed the elevated podium on the rooftop of Pacific Place, a shopping centre in Admiralty at 4:30 pm. Wearing a yellow raincoat with the words “Brutal police are cold-blooded” and “Carrie Lam is killing Hong Kong” in Chinese written on the back, he hung a banner on the scaffolding with several anti-extradition slogans. After a five-hour standoff, during which police officers and Democratic Party legislator Roy Kwong attempted to talk him down, Leung jumped to his death, missing an inflatable cushion set up by firefighters. This fed the anger of the Hong Kong citizens and even more showed up to the protests on the 16th. Everyone was devastated by the suicide and hoped that there will not be another tragedy like this again. From then on, the yellow raincoat became a symbol of the protests.

An interview later with Marco Leung’s parents revealed that his mother still made breakfast for him, stating “We still pretend he’s with us, it feels as though he hasn’t left us at all.” [7][8]

While he is being hailed a hero and a martyr, it makes me feel uneasy and uncomfortable, because he didn’t do it for everyone else, he did it because he couldn’t bare to see the future where China has rule over Hong Kong. When this happened, it devastated me. However, this was only just the start of the suicides. I will warn you if you are prone to suicidal thoughts or self harm, please be advised that further suicides will be mentioned. Also, I would like to add that suicide is never the way to resolve things, even if you don’t believe you will be missed, you will be.

On the 29th of June, a 21 year old university student, Lo Hiu-Yan, jumped to her death stating “I would use my little life as a sacrifice to fulfil the wishes of two million people, but please press on.” in her final message written on the wall. Then on the 30th of June, just a day later, Zhita Wu, 29, left a heartbreaking message on Facebook, asking Hong Kong to “Add oil”, a common phrase to cheer on others, much like adding fuel to an engine. And that she won’t be at the July 1st protest because she felt like there was no tomorrow and that she was tired and didn’t want to fight for tomorrow anymore. [9][10]

You would have thought that by the end of the month, Carrie Lam would reconsider because of these suicides, but sadly, that is not to be. As I check the Wikipedia page for Hong Kong Protests 2019, it says that there are at least 10 deaths, most of them suspected to be suicides. [11] [12] [14][15]

1st July

As I have mentioned before, 1st of July is the day Hong Kong was handed back to China. Many took to the streets to continue protesting this bill. However, Carrie Lam ignored the protests and ignored the violence caused by the police. As a result, the police continued to become violent and protesters were just being labelled as “rioters”.

As police brutality escalated, citizens got more and more enraged by the police. However, there are also some citizens that actually support the police and are against the protesters. Many started showing their support for the police by wearing blue t-shirts. Despite this, many were still against the police. [13]

Escalation in violence

July 21st, in my opinion, started the escalation of violence on both the protestors and police’s part.

A group of white clad men, suspected to be triad members, started to indiscriminately attack people in the Yuen Long MTR Station. (MTR is the name of Hong Kong’s subway system). Yes, even people that were just getting home from work or a day out were attacked. Police took over 30 minutes to even respond to the incident. A protest was organised, but the police tried to ban it. The protestors defied the ban and went to Yuen Long to protest, saying that they were “Just going shopping in Yuen Long.”

Because of this, some members of Cathay Pacific organised a peaceful protest at the airport in support of the protestors.

By this point, protests were every Sunday and although the protestors were predominantly non-violent, the police still used inhumane methods to disperse them. As if the police couldn’t cause further anger towards themselves from the public, they fired tear gas into residential areas, one of which being Wong Tai Sin.

5th August

To further press their point, a strike was organised all over Hong Kong and about 350,000 people joined in on the strikes. Over 200 flights were cancelled due to this incident. To disperse the protesters, the police used more than 800 canisters of tear gas. On August 6th, a student was arrested for possession of “offensive weapons”. They were laser pens. This act alone proved how desperate the police were to just accuse someone of crimes. This prompted protestors to go to the Space museum and hold a Laser show, pointing their laser pointers at the wall of the space museum.

#Eye4HK movement & Airport protests

On the 11th of August, there was another protest. Protests have been going on for two months now by this point. But what made this protest so different from the rest was that a medic - who was just volunteering her help in the protests -was hit by a bean bag round fired by the police. This made the protestors even more furious, it sparked the #Eye4HK movement. It was started by a Korean actor, Kim Eui Sung on instagram. [16] The next day, the 12th, Cathay Pacific threatened its staff with being fired if they participated in protests. [17] Later on, on the 16th of September, the boss of Cathay Pacific stepped down. [18]

In an outrage, a protest was organised within the airport where from the 12th of August to the 14th, protestors sat in the airport, prompting Airport authority to cancel flights. However, protestors later reflected upon it and decided it wasn’t the correct method to choose and issued an apology over social media. They also went to the airport the next day and personally apologised to the tourists that were delayed.

#BoycottMulan

A movement to Boycott Mulan sparked when, on the 15th of August, the actress for Mulan posted a post in support of the Hong Kong police. [19][20]

The Hong Kong Way

On the 23rd of August, Hong Kongers formed a human chain to draw attention to the movement’s five demands.

The Five demands are:

Complete withdrawal of the extradition bill from the legislative process: Although the Chief Executive announced indefinite suspension of the bill on 15 June, reading on it may be quickly resumed. The bill was “pending resumption of second reading” in the Legislative Council. The bill was formally withdrawn on 23 October.

Retraction of the “riot” characterisation: The government originally characterised the 12 June protest as “riots”. Later the description was amended to say there were “some” protesters who rioted. However, protesters contest the existence of acts of rioting during the 12 June protest.

Release and exoneration of arrested protesters: Protesters consider the arrests to be politically motivated; they also question the legitimacy of police arresting protesters at hospitals through access to their confidential medical data in breach of patient privacy.

Establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into police conduct and use of force during the protests: Civic groups felt that the level of violence used by the police on 12 June, specifically those against protesters who were not committing any offences when they were set upon, was unjustified; police performing stop-and-search to numerous passers-by near the protest site without probable cause was also considered abusive. Some officers’ failure to display or show their police identification number or warrant card despite being required to do so by the Police General Orders is seen to be a breakdown of accountability. The existing watchdog, Independent Police Complaints Council lacks independence, and its functioning relies on police co-operation.

Resignation of Carrie Lam and the implementation of universal suffrage for Legislative Council and Chief Executive elections:Currently, the Chief Executive is selected by a 1,200-member Election Committee, and 30 of the 70 Legislative Council seats are filled by representatives from different sectors of the economy, forming the majority of the so-called functional constituencies, most of which have few elector

Prince Edward Station Incident

On the 31st of August, protestors, despite the ban put in place by police, still went to protest. At night, Prince Edward Station was stormed by the Special Tactical Squad. They beat and pepper-sprayed commuters and protestors alike. Following that, protestors gathered at Mong Kok MTR station to demand they release the CCTV footage of the incident in Prince Edward Station. To this date, there has nothing that has become of this CCTV footage. The pleas have fallen on deaf ears and police have denied that anything even happened. [21] [22]

The Withdrawal of the Bill

On the 4th of September, Carrie Lam decided to (finally) formally withdraw the Extradition Bill. However, being three months too late, this was received particularly badly by the general public. [23] The protestors no longer wanted just this anymore, they wanted the Five Demands they requested. [24]

Starting from the 10th of September, protestors began singing “Glory to Hong Kong” [25] while marching or in various locations. It was a song that was originally posted on the 26th of August. The song was written to include the phrase “光復香港，時代革命” (“Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times”). They also went on to initiate campaigns to boycott shopping malls that are owned by The MTR corporation, New Town Plaza, Pro-Beijing shops and corporations.

National Day and Mask ban

On the 1st of October, China’s national day, protestors organised another protest. The violence escalated further as a protestor was shot in the chest by a police officer while he was trying to hit him with a pipe. Police attacked protestors with tear gas, rubber bullets, sponge grenades and water cannons. The protestors fought back, using corrosive fluid, bricks and petrol bombs. 74 protestors were injured and 25 police officers were also injured.

Following that, on the 4th of October, Carrie Lam decided to pass a mask ban in an attempt to stop people from protesting. But This did not stop the protestors. [26]

#BoycottBlizzard

I’m not going to lie, ever since this incident happened, more of the people I have on my facebook are actually posting about the Hong Kong protests. More people have become more aware. On the 6th of October, a gamer known as Blitzchung was kicked out of a professional e-sports tournament after voicing his support for the protestors in Hong Kong in an interview. (“Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” ) Then shortly after, he was banned for 12 months by Blizzard, who are in business with China and made to forfeit the equivalent of $10,000 in prize money. [27] Blizzard also stated that the two interviewers who conducted the interview were fired.

Of course, this has highlighted how even the west walks on eggshells when doing business with China. How they are fearful of being punished otherwise. A good example of high street brands that had to apologise are Versace, Dior, Muji, Zara, Gap, the list goes on… [29]

The backlash Blizzard face from the rest of the world was huge, making the #BoycottBlizzard tag trend on twitter. [28] They have also shortened Blitzchung’s ban to 6 months and will receive his winnings from the tournament. Mei from Overwatch has also become a symbol for the protests as a result. Of course, Blizzard aren’t one of the only companies that came under fire when it comes to the Hong Kong protests. NBA, Apple and even Google have come under fire over the subject.

"To cut a long story short, Daryl Morey, who was the general manager of Houston Rockets, shared a tweet that showed support for Hong Kong anti-government protesters. This caused backlash from China and the NBA has since apologised. [30] Apple and Google pulled the HKmap.live app from their app stores. The app allows Hong Kong protestors to see the location of the police and where tear gas has been fired." [31]

Violence & breach of rights against protestors

On the 11th of October, a livestreamed account of a female university student sparked new anger towards the Hong Kong police. In the account, Sonia Ng, claimed that the police had sexually assaulted her. She also went on to say that detained protestors were body-searched in dark rooms and that others also “suffered sexual violence”. [32]

This is not the first time the police have been accused of sexual harassment. [33]

Many detainees have also come out to speak about the mistreatment of their time detained by the police. [34][35]

In fact, some protestors have prepared “last letters” to their loved ones in case they don’t return to them. [36]

For more information, please check out the Wikipedia page on the 2019 Hong Kong Protests. The link will be provided below. [37]

So, what can you do to help?

Firstly, you’re already helping by reading this long post. I’m going to be a pain and ask you to read the Wikipedia article too for further information. Secondly, have you signed the petition yet? It’s linked at the very top, however, I’ve linked it here too. Thirdly, If you live in the UK, please bring it up to your MPs, if you live in the US, please bring it up to the senator that represents your area. Fourthly, just spread the word, share articles on Facebook or Twitter, in fact, just share all of the links I’ve provided in this post.

Lastly, I ask you to remember those who have died from the protests. Remember Marco Leung, the first person to take his life over the protests. Remember Lo Hiu-Yan and Zhita Wu, who felt like there was no tomorrow and that she was tired and didn’t want to fight for tomorrow anymore. Remember all those who couldn’t bare to see the results in the fight for freedom.

Thank you so much for reading this post. Remember that even if things look bleak, you must press on.

[1] The history of Hong Kong, visualized

[2] Taiwan Murder Case

[3] Everything you need to know about Hong Kong’s extradition law

[4] A digital Cat-and-Mouse Battle between Police and Protesters in Hong Kong

[5] Carrie Lam addresses extradition law controversy

[6] The difference between Police before and Police now

[7] Marco Leung’s suicide

[8] Hong Kong remembering Marco Leung

Lo Hiu-Yan’s Suicide:

[9] https://www.theepochtimes.com/21-year-old-hong-kong-student-dies-after-leaving-message-protesting-extradition-bill_2983629.html

[10] http://shanghaiist.com/2019/06/30/21-year-old-hong-kong-student-leaves-anti-extradition-note-then-jumps-to-her-death/

Zhita Wu’s Suicide:

[11] https://shanghaiist.com/2019/07/01/third-suicide-by-an-anti-extradition-protestor-in-hong-kong-sparks-alarm-bells/

[12] https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/copycat-anti-extradition-suicide/

[13] Joshua Wong’s thoughts on July 1st protests

[14] Another Hong Kong Protester Fell to Her Death After Leaving a Message for the Government

[15] Hong Kong protest Suicides

[16] #Eye4HK: How a Korean actor started social media movement in solidarity with people of Hong Kong

[17] Cathay threatens to fire staff over ‘illegal’ HK protests

[18] Cathay Pacific boss Rupert Hogg quits after protest row

[19] https://twitter.com/AnthonyKFHo/status/1161977889371430914?s=20

[20] Here’s What to Know About the Mulan Boycott

[21] Hong Kong: Rampaging police must be investigated

[22] Hong Kong authorities deny protester death claims after police raid

[23] ‘Too little, too late’: Hong Kong democrats and protesters vow further action despite extradition bill withdrawal

[24] Why are the protesters in Hong Kong not holding back and looking forward to burn with the government

[25] Glory to Hong Kong

[26] Thousands on streets of Hong Kong rage against mask ban

[27] Blizzard bans video game star after he supports Hong Kong protests

[28] Blizzard, Hearthstone and the Hong Kong protests: What you need to know

[29] Versace is the latest major brand to express its “deepest apologies” to China

[30] The NBA’s crisis in China threatens multibillion-dollar ties

[31] Apple pulls HKmap.live app used in Hong Kong protests

[32] Student’s emotional allegation of sexual assault by Hong Kong police sparks investigation and anger

[33] #ProtestToo: Hongkongers adopt anti-sexual harassment rallying cry in response to police assault allegations

[34] More doctors, nurses decry police for arresting first-aiders, preventing treatment

[35] Amnesty accuses Hong Kong police of abuses, torture of protesters

[36] Hear Hong Kong Protesters Read Their Final Goodbyes | The Dispatch

[37] 2019 Hong Kong protests

[38] Lord Alton's opening speech in Hong Kong debate

Good twitters to follow:

HongKongHermit

Joshua Wong

Misakisuzuki

Winnie the Xi

#HKResist Fight for Hong Kong

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eternal-bauhinian · 5 years

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The Chinese National Anthem: Controversy, Analysis, and How We Respect It

by a HK Yellow Ribbon Blogger

The Chinese national anthem - and by law, ours - has remained a controversial topic over the past few years, especially when the government has to propose a law to make HKers 'respect' it (seriously, respect is earned, not demanded), and it has been booed over sporting matches.

However, I believe that even though this song appears to represent Chinese Communism (or as they prefer to term it, Socialism), as the national anthem of a 'socialist' country (the People's Republic of China), the lyrics are perfectly fitting of our current scenario of fighting against the foes of the Chinese nation, and I wish to make an analysis on this.

History and Cultural Significance of the National Anthem

Our national anthem is March of the Volunteers (義勇軍進行曲), written by TIAN Han (田漢, lyrics - also a card-carrying communist, mind you, but one who still suffered under the Maoist regime) and NIE Er (聶耳, music) in the mid-1930s as the theme for a patriotic film, Children of Troubled Times (風雲兒女, 1935) and as a rallying cry against the Japanese invasion of Manchuria (now Dongbei).

After being made the national anthem of the PRC in 1949, it was replaced for a decade or two unofficially by The East is Red (東方紅), and the man who wrote the lyrics was imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution (and died in prison in 1968) for writing a supposed "big, poisonous weed" of a allegorical Peking opera piece (description by People's Daily).

In 1978, the song became the national anthem again, but under somewhat different lyrics in favour of the Maoist regime and communism in general, until 1982 when the original lyrics were restored (it appeared that some still grew up listening to the communist adaptation, despite only being the lyrics for a few years), and it has remained that way since then, and is legally THE version of the anthem.

The Difference Between a Country and a Nation

You may have noticed my usage between the words 'country' and 'nation' above, and I would like to state here that they are not (intended to be) synonymous terms.

A 'nation' stands for a people who share a common culture, territory, beliefs, core values, etc.

A 'country' is the combination of a defined territory (with borders and all), nation AND government.

It is much like the difference between ethnicity and nationality - ethnicity refers to bloodlines and perhaps culture, nationality is about where you are a resident of, and have the documents to prove the fact.

Now that we have cleared up the confusion for above and after this, allow me to begin my analysis of the lyrics.

The Lyrics and the Chinese Spirit

To begin with, I will introduce the structure of the analysis, from top to bottom are: (traditional) Chinese lyrics/original text, English translation (by me, with help from books and Wikipedia page), then how us Hongkongers relate to this with heart and soul without meaning to do so.

起來！不願做奴隸的人們！

Arise! Those who refuse to be slaves!

The anthem begins by calling out those who "refuse to be slaves", to the ones who fight for freedom and wish to stand strong. For the time of writing, it is those who do not wish to live under Japanese rule (if it would ever happen to them). For us Hongkongers, it is the Communist Mainland government and our government, which - despite being capitalist (hell, we are the most capitalistic region on the planet!) - are under their control and command.

把我們的血肉築成我們新的長城！

Use our blood and flesh to build our brand new Great Wall!

We will split this into two main points. Firstly, blood and flesh. Our people, frontline fighters, backup and medics, or just normal people caught in the crossfire and with zero intention to participate, have been injured, physically and psychologically harmed, or even as rumours state, killed. Several have gone as far as to commit suicide to state their opinion and stance on the issue loudly and clearly. (RIP Marco LEUNG Ling-kit "Raincoat Man", first to sacrifice their life for this segment of the fight; I saw him and his banners while passing Admiralty that fateful evening, as well as the authorities' measures to attempt to save him, but did not stay in time to witness his noble sacrifice.)

The second part important to this verse is the Great Wall (of China). The Great Wall symbolizes many things, three of them most notable to me. One, the spread of information and messages, as it was once used for - to light fires to alert others of an attack (refer to the beginning of Disney's Mulan, which is historically accurate, considering how the Western Zhou Dynasty from millennia ago ended); thus to create a system to connect the nation and spread messages rapidly. Two, protection from foreign invasion, which I presume would be the primary symbolism the writer of the lyrics was intending to show, considering the times; reinforcing the borders to prevent an invasion (which was a semi-failure). The third potential hidden meaning is all of China, as a nation, because the remnants of the Great Wall are a famous tourist attraction bow preserved and protected by UNESCO, right? Therefore, creating a 'new' China, like the scholars a generation prior during the late 1910s (May Fourth Movement and all).

For our time, we connect the nation with social media and spread the truth through the entire world with just a few clicks; we preserve the Chinese culture - the remnants of the original nation - that our ancestors worked so hard to build and create (though we can do without the sexism of neo-Confucianism) and from being destroyed by the Chinese Communist Party, which basically used only a decade to almost annihilate ancient Chinese values (e.g. benevolence/empathy 仁, justice 義, courtesy/filial piety 禮/孝 and the wisdom to tell between right and wrong 智).

For anyone objecting to the final claim about values, the lack of Samaitarian Law (meaning you can't even help an injured person who got into a car crash out of the kindness of your heart, in fear of being accused of CAUSING the crash when you were only a passer-by who just wanted to help), the possibility of being sued out of the house and home just because you were at the scene of the crime where a car crashed into a pedestrian (even if you didn't even witness it in any way - because you "obviously caused it"), the belief that the Communist Party can do no wrong (violating the 'Wisdom' part of the above), and even the law REQUIRING kids to visit their parents in the countryside (implying that they have to FORCE an image of filial piety instead of nurturing the virtue itself) proves that the ancient Chinese morals/ethics (倫理道德) are pretty gone north of the Sham Chun River that divides Mainland and SAR.

中華民族到最危險的時候，

(The) Chinese Nation's facing their greatest peril

The greatest peril was the Japanese during their time, now it is the Chinese Communist Party, which controls the people and dehumanizes some, and violates human rights to stay in power.

每個被迫著發出最後的吼聲。

We all are forced to sound out our final war cries

This part implies that we will make our last stands proudly and fight until the very end. Judging by the Last Words hashtags on Twitter during that time about a month ago, it is clear that none of us will be backing down anytime soon, just as the anthem tells us to do.

起來！起來！起來！

Arise! Arise! Arise!

This one is quite obvious - quit sitting on your bum just watching the news and being a faa seng yau (花生友), and do something to help the cause we are fighting for.

我們萬眾一心，

Ten thousand minds (men) with one heart (united)

This one is obvious too - unite the people under one cause, one belief. We appear to have succeeded in this quite well, since we got at least a couple of million protesters at minimum, which is about ¼ of the entire city population - which isn't a bad number at all.

冒著敵人的炮火，前進！

Face the enemy's fire, march forth!

The final actual sentences command the people to brave the enemy's attacks and keep going, continue the fight for the cause with courage and a heart in the right place. As we can see on TV every weekend, we seem to be rather capable at fulfilling this task.

冒著敵人的炮火，前進！

Face the enemy's fire, march forth!

前進！前進！進！

March forth! Forth!

Conclusion

Despite strong opposition against the national anthem at this day and age, Hongkongers are able to fulfill the calls to action the national anthem has advocated for, almost like some sort of irony. As a result, I believe that us Hongkongers ought to look beyond the anthem's surface and at least decipher the lyrics and understand the parallels between the fights we and our ancestors faced eighty years ago. Perhaps then will the government not have to force a bill on us to 'respect' the anthem - which isn't even what respect truly embodies anyway - it has to be done by one's free will, not by requirement, which may make people even less respectful of the anthem.

I also advise all of us Yellow Ribbons to stay strong and as the March of the Volunteers tells us, to "face the enemy's fire" and "march forth". God bless Hong Kong, and I wish you all a pleasant day/night.

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khalilhumam · 4 years

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Remembering Marco Leung, the first to die in Hong Kong's anti-China extradition protests

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/remembering-marco-leung-the-first-to-die-in-hong-kongs-anti-china-extradition-protests/

Remembering Marco Leung, the first to die in Hong Kong's anti-China extradition protests

After his death, Leung’s yellow raincoat became a protest symbol

Marco Leung. Image from the Stand News, Global Voices’ content partner.

Supporters of the anti-China extradition movement in Hong Kong count around a dozen unnatural deaths related to last year's protests. The majority of the deceased committed suicide — at least six individuals left suicide notes expressing their support of the protests and frustration towards the government. The most shocking incidents were the deaths of Marco Leung Ling-kit on June 15 and Chow Tsz-lok on November 3. Marco Leung, 35, was the first to die during the protests. He fell from Pacific Place, a shopping mall, while he was hanging up a protest banner at 4 PM on June 15, a week after a one million-strong demonstration failed to convince the city's leadership to withdraw the bill.

Marco Leung Ling-kit ( 梁凌杰 ) 2019-06-15 Passing away 1 Year

Black shirt + White ribbon

#StandWithHongKong

pic.twitter.com/kYATHxtIX7 — Apple (@Apple68335100) June 14, 2020

Leung was wearing a yellow raincoat displaying the words “(Chief Executive) Carrie Lam killed Hong Kong, Cops were cold blooded.” (林鄭殺港黑警冷血). On the banner he wrote:

��面撤回送��。我們不是暴動。釋放學生傷者。林鄭下台。Help Hong Kong。反送中 No EXTRADITION TO CHINA。MAKE LOVE No shoot!

Complete withdrawal of the China-extradition bill. We are not rioters. Release the students and the injured. Step down Carrie Lam. Help Hong Kong. No Extradition to China. Make Love, No shoot!

The Hong Kong government continued to refuse to withdraw the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019, better known as the China extradition bill. In response, on June 12, thousands of protesters charged towards the Legislative Council (LegCo). Riot police cracked down on the protest with tear gas and rubber bullet rounds. Authorities labeled the protests as riots, a definition that left the protesters facing sentences of up to ten years in jail. Marco Leung's individual protest was a reaction to the government's refusal to listen to people's demands and its labelling of citizens as rioters. He fell to his death after a rescue team launched an attempt to pull him inside the shopping mall. Leung's death shocked all of Hong Kong. The following day, two million people took to the streets, calling for Carrie Lam to step down as leader along with five other demands reflected in Leung's last stand: Complete withdrawal of the China extradition bill! Stop labeling protests as riots! Drop charges against protesters! Conduct independent investigations into excessive use of police force! Implement universal suffrage for both Legislative Council and the Chief Executive! Since his death, Leung’s yellow raincoat has become a protest symbol, while protesters have vowed that they will carry on his path and force the fulfilment of his demands.

梁凌杰 1984/3/7 – 2019/6/15 享年35歲。

pic.twitter.com/CAVJm96Syu — Huckebein (@JOSHUAHUCKEBEIN) June 15, 2020

Leung Ling-kit. 1984/3/7 – 2019/6/15. Aged 35 years old.

It had been a year since you left us. I remeber that you were the first person who say Five Demand. Hong Kongers never forget. 梁凌杰義士，他是被政權推下去。未能忘記，亦不會忘記. pic.twitter.com/9E71RUM4th — Linghk

(@lingliberaty) June 15, 2020

It has been a year since you left us. I remember that you were the first person who said the Five Demands. Hong Kongers never forget. Marco Leung Ling-kit, a fighter for justice, he was pushed to fall by the regime. I can’t forget and will never forget.

Authorities drag feet

Another protester, Chow Tsz-Lok, 22, fell from a car park during a riot police operation around midnight on November 8, 2019. The death was suspicious as Chow was sending out text messages to fellow protesters, containing information about the whereabouts of riot police at the time of his death. Moreover, he only fell from the third level to the second level of the car park — just a few meters in height. Many believe that he was murdered. The Coroner’s Court is still yet to launch inquiries into the causes and circumstances of both Leung and Chow’s deaths. Leung’s father told journalists that Hong Kong police has delayed handing over the investigative report to the court. Ahead of the anniversary of Marco Leung’s tragic fall, Civil Human Rights Front, a coalition of local non-governmental organizations, urged citizens to commemorate Leung by putting flowers outside the Pacific Place shopping mall. Thousands answered the call, despite the heavy presence of riot police.

We shall never forget! https://t.co/xGfGZCji2Y — HK dreamer (@hkfajie) June 15, 2020

15/06 17:20金鐘現場 pic.twitter.com/Ex5ycQvAbw — 貓婆婆(1) (@chowkinwah2) June 15, 2020

Eventually, the queue grew to such a size that people had to wait for two hours to place the flowers outside the shopping mall.

#hk – the queue to pay tribute to deceased protester Leung Ling-kit extending all the way from Pacific Place to Hong Kong Park pic.twitter.com/nbQdL4tazA — Lok. (@sumlokkei) June 15, 2020

The crowds outside the mall continued into the early hours of June 16, while pro-democracy district councillors set up temporary memorials in other parts of the city to allow local residents to pay their tributes.

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