Protesters dressed in black have marched through central Hong Kong demanding a full retraction of the China extradition law. The huge new rally comes after Hong Kong's chief executive, Carrie Lam, announced an indefinite halt to the proposed bill, which would allow residents and visitors to be sent for trial in China’s opaque Communist-controlled court system
Continue reading...Category Archives: Protest
Hong Kong streets flooded by extradition bill protesters – in pictures
Tens of thousands of people dressed in black call for complete withdrawal of suspended bill
Continue reading...Britain has a duty to help Hong Kong out of this dark moment | Chris Patten
China’s power grab via a new extradition bill must be opposed by governments around the world, especially Britain’s
It took something out of the ordinary to provoke a million people in Hong Kong to take to the streets to demonstrate against proposed new extradition rules. Roughly one-sixth of the population demonstrated peacefully: families, young and old, lawyers, academics, students, professionals and manual workers.
What caused such an outpouring against a piece of legislation? Quite simply, the people of Hong Kong – not British, but Hong Kong Chinese – have seen their government connive with the Communist regime in Beijing to undermine their way of life and freedoms.
Continue reading...Adviser to Hong Kong leader calls for extradition bill delay
Pro-Beijing politician also urges pause and diplomat distances China from law
The pressure of Hong Kong public opinion against a proposed extradition law appears to be causing cracks in the unity of pro-Beijing leaders after two senior figures called for the legislation to be delayed or dropped.
Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has staked her authority on pushing through the legislation, vowing not to back down during a week in which protests have convulsed the city. She has compared demonstrators who were pelted with rubber bullets and teargas to spoilt children.
Continue reading...Taking to the streets: how protests have shaped Hong Kong’s history
Demonstrations against the extradition bill follow a 50-year tradition of publicly challenging authority
In Hong Kong, people have most of the freedoms of a democracy except the right to choose their leaders. The city’s last British governor, Chris Patten, described it as a place that enjoyed “liberty without democracy”.
That has made protests particularly important as a political tool and an expression of Hong Kong identity. For more than half a century, the people of Hong Kong have been taking to the streets to force distant authorities – first in Britain and later in Beijing – to reconsider how they govern the city.
Continue reading...As a former lawyer, I’m protesting to save the rule of law in Hong Kong | Anonymous
The extradition bill would bulldoze our legal system and hurt our economy. I’ve lost faith in China’s promise of democracy
The ninth of June 2019 was a Sunday. Any other Sunday in summer at Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, old men and women would do their usual walkabouts and maids would gather, spread out groundsheets, cover them with spicy delicacies and listen to Filipino pop songs. But it was not like any other Sunday, at least not for me. Filled with anxiety, hope and anger, I joined the protest against Hong Kong’s proposed extradition law, alongside three classmates from my evening Spanish class. We were hopeful because perhaps there was a slim chance that our government would listen to us, for once. We were angry because our government had repeatedly lied to us.
Related: What are the Hong Kong protests about?
Continue reading...Police detain hundreds in Moscow during protests over Russian journalist – video
Hundreds of people were detained in central Moscow on Wednesday as protesters rallied to demand that charges be brought against the police officers who planted drugs on Ivan Golunov, an investigative journalist whose arrest sparked widespread public anger. Ovd-info, a website that tracks arrests, said at least 423 people had been detained
Continue reading...Street protesters dig in for Hong Kong’s ‘last battle’
The demonstrators are less idealistic than in 2014, and the police respond more forcefully
At the end of pro-democracy protests that paralysed central Hong Kong for 79 days in 2014, demonstrators left behind glitter bombs and stickers with the outline of an umbrella and the message: “We’ll be back.”
More than four years later, they have made good on that promise. Since Tuesday evening, thousands of protesters have poured into the streets, surrounding their government. They blocked roads, built barricades, and occupied many of the same areas that were under siege during the Occupy protests, also known as the “umbrella movement”, a campaign for “genuine democracy” in elections. Like in 2014, they have clashed with riot police and suffered rounds of teargas.
Continue reading...Hundreds arrested in Moscow during protest over Ivan Golunov
Protesters call for charges to be brought against police officers who arrested journalist
Hundreds of people have been detained in central Moscow as protesters demanded charges be brought against the police officers who planted drugs on Ivan Golunov, an investigative journalist whose arrest sparked widespread public anger.
Alexei Navalny, a prominent Kremlin critic, was among those arrested when police, some clad in riot gear, moved in on 1,500 peaceful protesters who were attempting to reach the headquarters of the interior ministry that oversees police work. The protest, which was not approved by the authorities, took place on Russia Day, a national holiday in honour of the country’s independence from the Soviet Union.
Continue reading...Hong Kong protesters shut down city centre over extraditions bill – in pictures
Debate on bill temporarily abandoned after tens of thousands surround Legislative Council building
Continue reading...Hong Kong: tens of thousands of protesters gather as extradition debate looms
Major roads blocked and citywide shutdown expected on Wednesday as hundreds of businesses call for a boycott
Tens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Hong Kong, blocking major roads and sporadically clashing with police as politicians prepared to debate extradition legislation that critics fear would let China spirit its critics across the border.
Protesters gathered around the legislative council building, dismantling and pushing down barricades set up by police and chanting “retract, retract!” Large numbers of riot police have been deployed, using pepper spray on protesters and holding up signs warning they were prepared to use force on the crowds.
Continue reading...Sudanese doctors say dozens of people raped during sit-in attack
Hospitals in Khartoum record more than 70 cases of rape in aftermath of attack on protest
Doctors believe paramilitaries carried out more than 70 rapes during an attack on a protest camp in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, a week ago.
More than 100 people were killed and as many as 700 injured in the attack last Monday on a sit-in and clashes afterwards, as paramilitaries from the Rapid Support Forces spread through the city to quell sporadic unrest.
Continue reading...What are the Hong Kong protests about?
A series of mass protests has shaken the city. We look at the motivations behind them
Hong Kong has been rocked by a series of protests by hundreds of thousands of people in recent weeks, many of which have ended in violent clashes between police and pockets of demonstrators.
The protests were initially focused on a bill that that would make it easier to extradite people to China from the semi-autonomous city. But the authorities’ harsh policing of the protests, coupled with a refusal by Hong Kong’s leader to completely withdraw the bill, mean protesters have returned to the streets time and again.
Continue reading...Hong Kong protests: Carrie Lam vows to push ahead with extradition bill
Leader of government refuses to withdraw the bill, which critics fear could lead to abuse by Beijing
The leader of Hong Kong’s government has said she remains determined to pass a controversial extradition bill, despite an estimated one million people marching against the legislation on Sunday.
The huge march, which stretched for more than two miles, was peaceful until midnight, when police and demonstrators clashed after attempts to disperse some remaining protesters from the area outside the legislative offices.
Continue reading...Hong Kong protests – in pictures
An estimated 1 million people took to the streets of Hong Kong to demonstrate against the controversial extradition bill, with multiple other demonstrations occurring globally in support, including in Tokyo, Vancouver and Los Angeles
Continue reading...Police use batons and pepper spray on Hong Kong protesters – video
Police have clashed with protesters on the streets of Hong Kong after after hundreds of thousands of people marched through the city in protest against a proposed extradition law critics say will let Beijing pursue its political enemies. A largely peaceful rally on Sunday outside the parliament and government headquarters changed dramatically in the early hours of Monday as police wearing riot gear moved in with batons and pepper spray on protesters who hurled bottles and metal barricades. Chinese state-run newspapers have blamed the unrest on unnamed 'foreign forces'.
‘Straight pride’ parade organizer has held and attended far-right events
Rallies and protests organized by Mark Sahady have often been small, with attendees vastly outnumbered by opposing groups
Far-right figures associated with a “straight pride” parade in Boston have celebrated the story going “viral” in news media, but with no fixed date and no city permit granted the likely size of the event and chances of it going ahead remain unclear.
Related: 'Straight pride' group removes Brad Pitt as mascot after backlash
Continue reading...African Union suspends Sudan over violence against protestors – video
The African Union has suspended Sudan amid reports more than 100 people were killed when security forces raided pro-democracy camps. The sound of gunfire can be heard in footage filmed during a raid by Sudanese security forces on a peaceful Khartoum protest. More than 40 bodies were pulled from the Nile, medical groups associated with the demonstrators have said. Internet access has been cut, restricting protesters from communicating and sharing video evidence of the incident. There are growing fears that splits among the ruling military regime could lead to civil war
Thousands of people protest against Donald Trump’s state visit – video
Trafalgar Square in central London became the focal point for tens of thousands of anti-Trump protesters on Tuesday. The US president dismissed the demonstrations as 'fake news', saying they were very small, while claiming thousands had lined the streets to cheer him on Monday
Continue reading...Tiananmen Square massacre marked with Hong Kong vigil
More than 100,000 gather for anniversary but many fear for future of commemoration
More than 100,000 people have gathered in Hong Kong for a candlelight vigil to mark the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
The event is the biggest and traditionally the only major commemoration of the incident allowed in China. Taiwan also marked the massacre with a vigil and exhibition on “Tank man” – the man photographed standing in front of tanks on 5 June 1989.
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