HK Resident: ‘We Hong Kongers Are Brave. We Are Not Scared by the Communist Party’

Penny Zhou
By Penny Zhou
July 15, 2019Hong Kong
share
HK Resident: ‘We Hong Kongers Are Brave. We Are Not Scared by the Communist Party’
Police officers tear the shirt of a protester after a rally against a controversial extradition law proposal during a clash inside a shopping arcade in Sha Tin of Hong Kong on July 14, 2019. (Philip FONG / AFP/Getty Images)

Hong Kongers’ latest challenge to the Chinese Communist regime’s increasing influence over the city ended with violent confrontations in a shopping mall on July 14.

Protesters hurled umbrellas at police, who responded with pepper spray and batons. A total of 28 people were injured, including police officers, according to local media reports.

Pan-democratic Legislator Claudia Mo said in a press conference after the clashes that the protests over the government’s extradition bill has escalated into “the biggest political and governance crisis Hong Kong has ever faced.”

The clashes, which followed a peaceful daytime march attended by tens of thousands of people, are the latest in an ongoing revolt against the bill. The proposed legislation would allow the semi-autonomous city’s government to send anyone in the city to mainland China for trial at the request of the Chinese Communist Party.

“Everyone knows about the communist party,” Hong Kong resident Ms. Chen told NTD. “It’s got no humanity. We Hong Kongers are brave. We are not scared by it.”

Embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam suspended the bill only after intense protests by hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers blocked councillors from entering the legislative council. But Hong Kongers don’t feel reassured after the bill was indefinitely suspended, citing the government’s handling of the protests over the past month and Lam’s unwillingness to withdraw the bill from the council.

“I am very disappointed with Carrie Lam,” Hong Kong resident Ms. Zheng told NTD. “She asked her two sons not to come back to Hong Kong. But aren’t the sons and daughters in Hong Kong also human beings? I saw the police beat up a protester on TV. The bullet hit his head. I saw it on TV at home. And my tears kept running down my face.”

Protesters have recently expanded their demands from calling on Lam to step down to demanding that people be granted the right to directly elect the city’s leader. Currently, a pro-Beijing committee elects Hong Kong’s leader.

“In all these clashes between the police and the residents, the biggest initiator of the evil is actually Beijing authorities,” Bruce Lui, a senior Journalist in Hong Kong, told NTD. “Beijing’s tough stance stops Carrie Lam’s government from listening to the people. She herself is problematic as well.”

After Sunday’s clashes, Lam denounced the protesters as “rioters,” and praised the police for protecting the city.

“When police enforced the law, they did it with professionalism, ethics, and order,” Lam said in a press conference.

The recent protests are seen by many in the community as Hong Kong’s last chance to defend its freedom after decades of communist infiltration. More rallies are expected to come next weekend, according to organizers.

ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments