Category Archives: Hong Kong

Street protesters dig in for Hong Kong’s ‘last battle’

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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.

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Hong Kong protest: demonstrators and police face off over extradition bill – live

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Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Hong Kong as politicians debate controversial extradition legislation

An extraordinary image from Hong Kong of police officers using a water cannon on a single protester.

Police officers use a water canon on a lone protestor near the government headquarters in Hong Kong

@AntAFP pic.twitter.com/jFxKZhSVx8

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the protests in Hong Kong, where tens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered as politicians debate controversial extradition legislation.

Early on Wednesday, major roads were blocked by masses of protesters, who began systematically barricades set up by police near the legislative council building and chanting “retract, retract!” Demonstrators are protesting laws that critics fear would let China spirit its critics across the border.

#LIVE: Police earlier unfurled an orange flag with the words "disperse or we fire" on Tim Mei Avenue, which briefly heightened tension with protesters https://t.co/fpKl8rH1bn #extraditionbill pic.twitter.com/aBRHklS890

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Hong Kong: tens of thousands of protesters gather as extradition debate looms

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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.

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What are the Hong Kong protests about?

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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.

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Hong Kong protests: Carrie Lam vows to push ahead with extradition bill

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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.

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Police use batons and pepper spray on Hong Kong protesters – video

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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'.




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Vast protest in Hong Kong against extradition law

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Critics say law will allow China to pursue political opponents and legitimise abduction

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Hong Kong in a vast protest against a proposed extradition law that critics say will allow mainland China to pursue its political opponents in the city, which has traditionally been a safe haven from the Communist party.

Police closed metro stations and funnelled people through narrow thoroughfares, prompting accusations that they were deliberately attempting to thwart the protest.

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Pollution warnings keep us healthier – but only in the short term

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It is not fair to ask people to adapt their lives to dirty air. We need to solve the problem at source

Can telling people about air pollution lessen the impact? A new air quality index was launched in Hong Kong at the end of 2013. This included forecasts and information for vulnerable people; doctors were enlisted to advise their patients too. A new analysis of seven years of data showed that the start of the index was followed by a 16% reduction in the number of children treated in hospital with respiratory infections and pneumonia. This was attributed to parents following official advice to keep their children indoors during smogs. However, the benefit was short-lived and lasted for only about a year. Other studies have also found that people are willing to adapt their lives for short periods to protect themselves but not in the longer term. No effect was seen in elderly people. This was thought to be due to low literacy rates and difficulties in reaching them with information.

Others have criticised indices for focusing on smogs rather than the more harmful exposure to low levels of air pollution every day. Asking people to adapt to poor air pollution may help but we need to solve the problem at source. Our lives should not be further compromised by adapting what we do because of the quality of our air.

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Hong Kong extradition bill is ‘terrible blow’ to rule of law, says Patten

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Former governor says sending suspects to China for trial will undermine region’s reputation

Hong Kong’s last British governor, Chris Patten, has said a proposed extradition bill allowing suspects to be sent to China for trial is a “terrible blow” to the rule of law and will undermine Hong Kong’s reputation as a global financial hub.

The legal amendments being pushed by the special administrative region’s government would allow case-by-case transfers of people to countries without extradition treaties, including China.

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‘No way to stop it’: millions of pigs culled across Asia as swine fever spreads

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Experts say region is losing the battle to stop the biggest animal disease outbreak the planet has ever faced

South-east Asia is battling to contain the spread of highly contagious African swine fever, known as “pig Ebola”, which has already led to the culling of millions of pigs in China and Vietnam.

African swine fever, which is harmless to humans but fatal to pigs, was discovered in China in August, where it has caused havoc, leading to more than 1.2m pigs being culled. China is home to almost half of the world’s pigs and the news sent the global price of pork soaring.

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Candlelit vigil held in Hong Kong to mark Tiananmen Square massacre – video

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Thousands of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong gathered on Tuesday night to mark 30 years since China's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Hong Kong is the only region under Beijing's jurisdiction that holds significant public commemorations of the 1989 violence. Hong Kong has a degree of freedom not available on the mainland as a legacy of British rule that ended in 1997.

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Tiananmen Square massacre marked with Hong Kong vigil

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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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Brawl breaks out in Hong Kong parliament – video

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A brawl broke out in Hong Kong’s legislature on Saturday as pro-democracy lawmakers and those loyal to China discussed an extradition law that would extend Beijing’s powers over the financial hub. The former British colony is trying to enact rules that would allow people accused of a crime, including foreigners, to be extradited to countries without formal extradition agreements, including mainland China where they could face vague national security charges and unfair trials

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Hong Kong lawmakers scuffle in parliament

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One person apparently fainted during melee prompted by row over extradition law

Hong Kong’s legislative assembly descended into chaos on Saturday as lawmakers for and against amendments to the territory’s extradition law clashed over access to the chamber.

At least one lawmaker was taken from the chamber on a stretcher after apparently fainting during the morning melee, in which legislators pushed and shoved each other on the floor and in an adjoining hallway.

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Hong Kong residents protest at plans for extradition to China

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Residents fear law will allow Beijing to demand Hong Kong hand over political dissidents

Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents have taken to the streets to demand their government halt a plan that would make it easier to extradite people to the secretive judicial system in mainland China.

The march organisers estimated that more than 100,000 people filed through central Hong Kong on Sunday. Police said the march drew 22,800 people at its peak.

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High-density megacities: the photographs of Michael Wolf

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Hong Kong-based photographer Michael Wolf is best known for Architecture of Density, which shows the city’s tower blocks as dramatic geometric abstractions, and Tokyo Compression, which captures rush hour on the Japanese capital’s subway. He died this week aged 64

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‘Umbrella nine’ Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders sentenced to jail

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Campaigners responsible for the largest civil disobedience in Hong Kong’s history face up to 16 months in prison

A group of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists have been sentenced to prison for their role in the Umbrella Movement protests, with two of its leaders jailed for 16 months.

A district court judge jailed sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 60, law professor Benny Tai, 54, and Baptist minister the Rev Chu Yiu-ming, 75, to 16 months each for conspiracy to commit public nuisance. Chu’s sentence was suspended for two years.

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