Dilemma in Beijing: how to stifle protests and punish Hong Kong
Dilemma in Beijing: how to stifle protests and punish Hong Kong

Author(s): Michał Bogusz
Subject(s): Civil Society, Governance, Government/Political systems
Published by: OSW Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich im. Marka Karpia
Keywords: Hong Kong unrest; China and Democracy;
Summary/Abstract: The protests in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong have been going on since March, and were triggered by a bill allowing extradition of inhabitants of the region to the People’s Republic of China. The demonstrations are organised by a decentralised coalition of democratic organisations, and many occur locally and spontaneously. Social media also play a major part in organisation and the reaching of decisions by a vote. During the summer, a number of demonstrations each attracted almost two million people. On 12 June, when a vote was due to be held regarding the extradition bill in the local legislative council, a crowd of ten or more thousand people blocked the town’s central district and caused the council meeting to be broken off. Police used teargas and rubber bullets on a large scale to disperse the crowd. The protesters reacted to the police’s actions by making five demands: (1) that the extradition act be revoked, (2) that an independent committee be set up to investigate cases of police brutality and abuse of power, (3) that the protests stopped being described as ‘rioting’, as this affects how the action taken by protesters is classified under the law, (4) a universal amnesty for protesters, and (5) that fully democratic and universal elections be introduced to appoint both the legislature and the region’s chief executive. Since then, protests in various forms have become part of daily life. Since July, some protesters have noticeably and progressively become more radical, with cases of violence and damage to property, and a boycotting of organisations that have links with Beijing. Peaceful protests are held by various professional groups, such as government clerks, lawyers, and medical professionals, a few times a week, and violent protests occurs after dark. At the beginning of the academic year on 1 September, a school strike broke out and an airport was blockaded. The largest demonstrations, which involved violence, occurred on 1 October, the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

• Details
• Contents