Wednesday, October 01, 2014 6:16:30 AM
Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong September 28 (LONG VIDEO)
Hong Kong protests escalate: Police use tear gas, pepper spray
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Hong Kong protests swell as Chinese celebrate National Day
Demonstrations continue into sixth day as chief executive Leung Chun-ying insists Beijing will not back down over elections
• Live blog - Wednesday’s developments in Hong Kong protests
http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2014/oct/01/hong-kong-protests-pro-democracy-rallies-mix-with-national-day-celebrations-live
Tania Branigan in Hong Kong
The Guardian, Wednesday 1 October 2014 05.06 EDT
Hong Kong protester A protester carries a colonial Hong Kong flag as he walks
past a luxury shop in the Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district. Photograph: Reuters
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests will hit their highest numbers yet as China celebrates its National Day, the student leader who helped precipitate the demonstrations has said.
Joshua Wong, of Scholarism, said: “The numbers today will definitely be bigger than yesterday,” as the protests continued into a sixth day and Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, insisted Beijing would not back down on new electoral rules that would allow the Communist party leadership to choose candidates for the region to vote on.
The Hong Kong chief executive is currently elected by a 1,200-member committee but the protesters say Beijing has reneged on an agreement to grant them open elections by 2017.
“We hope citizens will join the civil disobedience, will keep safe and will rely on the principle of non-violence. We hope they can invite more of their friends and family members to voice their opinions on universal suffrage and [their wish that] CY Leung should step down as soon as possible,” Wong said.
Earlier, Wong and other activists turned their backs in a symbolic gesture of protest as the flag was raised at the annual National Day ceremony – marking the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 – attended by the chief executive.
Leung did not refer to the mass movement in his speech at a reception, but said: “It is understandable that different people may have different ideas about a desirable reform package. But it is definitely better to have universal suffrage than not.
“It is definitely better to have the [chief executive] elected by 5 million eligible voters than by 1,200 people. And it is definitely better to cast your vote at the polling station than to stay home and watch on television the 1,200 members of the election committee cast their votes.”
In Beijing, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, did not comment on the biggest challenge to the Communist party for decades, but vowed in a National Day speech to “steadfastly safeguard” Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.
Crowds in the core protest zone around government offices at Admiralty had already soared into the tens of thousands by mid-afternoon. Overnight, the protesters of the “umbrella revolution” stood through a thunderstorm with umbrellas previously used to ward off teargas and shelter from the sun.
A new protest area also sprang up in Tsim Sha Tsui, a tourist hub known for its museums.
Meanwhile, pro-Beijing groups joined National Day celebrations in the city.
While the protests have been sparked by Beijing’s insistence that universal suffrage for the 2017 election of the next chief executive must be tightly controlled, underneath that lie broader concerns about the future of the region and its ability to protect its identity and freedoms.
The demonstrations have developed their own life, with many of those attending saying they did not identify with Occupy Central or the student groups.
Police have stepped back, maintaining a discreet presence, after the use of teargas and pepper spray at the weekend inflamed rather than dispersed the protests.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/01/hong-kong-protests-chinese-national-day
Hong Kong protests escalate: Police use tear gas, pepper spray
===
Hong Kong protests swell as Chinese celebrate National Day
Demonstrations continue into sixth day as chief executive Leung Chun-ying insists Beijing will not back down over elections
• Live blog - Wednesday’s developments in Hong Kong protests
http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2014/oct/01/hong-kong-protests-pro-democracy-rallies-mix-with-national-day-celebrations-live
Tania Branigan in Hong Kong
The Guardian, Wednesday 1 October 2014 05.06 EDT
Hong Kong protester A protester carries a colonial Hong Kong flag as he walks
past a luxury shop in the Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district. Photograph: Reuters
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests will hit their highest numbers yet as China celebrates its National Day, the student leader who helped precipitate the demonstrations has said.
Joshua Wong, of Scholarism, said: “The numbers today will definitely be bigger than yesterday,” as the protests continued into a sixth day and Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, insisted Beijing would not back down on new electoral rules that would allow the Communist party leadership to choose candidates for the region to vote on.
The Hong Kong chief executive is currently elected by a 1,200-member committee but the protesters say Beijing has reneged on an agreement to grant them open elections by 2017.
“We hope citizens will join the civil disobedience, will keep safe and will rely on the principle of non-violence. We hope they can invite more of their friends and family members to voice their opinions on universal suffrage and [their wish that] CY Leung should step down as soon as possible,” Wong said.
Earlier, Wong and other activists turned their backs in a symbolic gesture of protest as the flag was raised at the annual National Day ceremony – marking the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 – attended by the chief executive.
Leung did not refer to the mass movement in his speech at a reception, but said: “It is understandable that different people may have different ideas about a desirable reform package. But it is definitely better to have universal suffrage than not.
“It is definitely better to have the [chief executive] elected by 5 million eligible voters than by 1,200 people. And it is definitely better to cast your vote at the polling station than to stay home and watch on television the 1,200 members of the election committee cast their votes.”
In Beijing, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, did not comment on the biggest challenge to the Communist party for decades, but vowed in a National Day speech to “steadfastly safeguard” Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.
Crowds in the core protest zone around government offices at Admiralty had already soared into the tens of thousands by mid-afternoon. Overnight, the protesters of the “umbrella revolution” stood through a thunderstorm with umbrellas previously used to ward off teargas and shelter from the sun.
A new protest area also sprang up in Tsim Sha Tsui, a tourist hub known for its museums.
Meanwhile, pro-Beijing groups joined National Day celebrations in the city.
While the protests have been sparked by Beijing’s insistence that universal suffrage for the 2017 election of the next chief executive must be tightly controlled, underneath that lie broader concerns about the future of the region and its ability to protect its identity and freedoms.
The demonstrations have developed their own life, with many of those attending saying they did not identify with Occupy Central or the student groups.
Police have stepped back, maintaining a discreet presence, after the use of teargas and pepper spray at the weekend inflamed rather than dispersed the protests.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/01/hong-kong-protests-chinese-national-day
It was Plato who said, “He, O men, is the wisest, who like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing”
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