Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières
The Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) figure represents 28.5 per cent of the city’s population, and would make the demonstration the largest in Hong Kong history.
It is almost double the turnout figure they gave for last Sunday’s anti-extradition law protest.
The “Lennon Wall” has returned. During the 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement, people also posted colourful post-it messages of support on the gov’t HQ’s outer walls.
In full: http://bit.ly/extraditionhk #NoToChinaExtradition
Police claimed 338,000 joined the designated walking route at the peak of the demonstration.
The CHRF – a coalition of pro-democracy groups – said the turnout was almost two million “plus one,” to represent a man who fell to his death on Saturday while protesting the bill. Protesters on Sunday wore all black and carried white funeral flowers to honour the 35-year-old man surnamed Leung.
@HongKongFP
Supplies are arriving on site. Water, snacks, goggles, face masks and hard hats are being distributed from supply points as demonstrators seek to bed in.
In full: http://bit.ly/extraditionhk #notochinaextradition
Hong Kong proposed legal amendments in February to allow the city to handle case-by-case extradition requests from jurisdictions with no prior agreements, most notably China and Taiwan.
The bill would enable the chief executive and local courts to handle extradition requests without legislative oversight, although lawyers, journalists, foreign politicians and businesses have raised concerns over the risk of residents being extradited to the mainland, which lacks human rights protections.
On Saturday, following months of criticism, the government said it would postpone the bill and explain it further to the public.
As night fell on Sunday, demonstrators arriving in Admiralty occupied roads around government headquarters and the legislature, in a repeat of the tactics seen during the 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement.
As the crowds swelled, the government said in a statement that that Chief Executive Carrie Lam apologised to the public, adding that she promises to accept criticism with humility and sincerity.
CHRF said in a statement that Lam’s response was inadequate: “Truth is, citizens [have taken] to the street again, insisting [on] the withdrawal of the extradition bill and the resignation of Carrie Lam.”
“Facing such public rage, Carrie Lam simply makes apology through a press release, for ‘the inadequate work of the government’ but not for pushing to pass the bill or police’s crackdown on protesters. She even stressed that she would continue to serve the citizens. This is a total insult to and fooling the people who took to the street! Hong Konger will not accept this!” CHRF added.
Protesters erected supply stations and first aid tents around the occupied zone at Tamar, as many prepared to remain overnight on Sunday.
The city has been rocked by a series of protests in recent weeks against the bill. The brief occupation of roads around the legislature on Wednesday ended in violence as police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets against crowds advancing forwards throwing objects.
Jennifer Creery & Tom Grundy
Video from the Guardian here:
Hong Kong’s Joshua Wong to be released from prison on Monday, party says
Joshua Wong, the student leader who became the face of Hong Kong’s “Umbrella Movement” democracy protests nearly five years ago, will be released from prison on Monday, his party said late Sunday.
In a statement, Demosisto — the party he co-founded — said the 22-year-old activist would be released from Lai Chi Kok Correctional Institute at 10.30am.
Wong was sent back to prison in May after he lost an attempt to quash a jail sentence over his leadership of the huge democracy protests he helped lead in 2014.
His release comes as Hong Kong is rocked by another outbreak of huge protests, this time sparked by mass public opposition to a plan to allow extraditions to China.
Organisers said some two million people turned out on Sunday for the mammoth rally which was still going on as the announcement was made that Wong would be released.
Wong, who was 17 when the 2014 protests began, was jailed for three months in January 2018 on a contempt charge after pleading guilty to obstructing the clearance of a major protest camp.
17 June 2019 00:09 AFP
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