| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout 09:23 - Jun 16 with 1085 views | WeWereZombies |
The BBC report says that the organisers hope for a million to take part:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-48649077
The estimated population of the city is just under seven and a half million, given the wariness about the Chinese regime and the natural disinclination for a proportion of human beings to get politically involved the hundreds of thousands that have marched are very significant. The leaders of the protest really are putting their futures on the line, one can only hope that this is not another Tiananmen Square in the making. |  |
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| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 09:24 - Jun 16 with 1079 views | hampstead_blue |
they stopped the policy I think. The Chinese Governor was on the radio yesterday calling it off.
Peaceful demo's work. Love it. |  |
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| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 09:27 - Jun 16 with 1073 views | sparks |
| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 09:24 - Jun 16 by hampstead_blue |
they stopped the policy I think. The Chinese Governor was on the radio yesterday calling it off.
Peaceful demo's work. Love it. |
No- they have paused it. Almost certainly waiting for the reaction to fade so they can pursue it. |  |
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| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 09:34 - Jun 16 with 1058 views | WeWereZombies |
| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 09:27 - Jun 16 by sparks |
No- they have paused it. Almost certainly waiting for the reaction to fade so they can pursue it. |
Hence the continuing protest. As an aside I carried on looking through Wikipedia, after finding out Hong Kong's population, to the Tiananmen Square massacre page and then followed a link to this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Yellowbird
Not sure if this was reported after the event but this is the first I knew of it. I like the motto 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the yellow bird behind', sounds like a bit of David Attenborough commentary. [Post edited 16 Jun 2019 9:40]
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| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 18:18 - Jun 16 with 978 views | ROKERITE |
| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 09:27 - Jun 16 by sparks |
No- they have paused it. Almost certainly waiting for the reaction to fade so they can pursue it. |
Sadly it is only going to end one way. It would have taken a brave leader to have proposed it but allowing a couple of million to come here from Hong Kong back in 1997 would have been the honourable thing to do. With the work ethic for which they are renowned they would have been a welcome addition. |  | | |
| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 18:20 - Jun 16 with 971 views | SpruceMoose |
| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 18:18 - Jun 16 by ROKERITE |
Sadly it is only going to end one way. It would have taken a brave leader to have proposed it but allowing a couple of million to come here from Hong Kong back in 1997 would have been the honourable thing to do. With the work ethic for which they are renowned they would have been a welcome addition. |
Yeah until we tried to boot them out again, as with the Windrush generation lately... |  |
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| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 22:10 - Jun 16 with 914 views | WeWereZombies |
| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 18:18 - Jun 16 by ROKERITE |
Sadly it is only going to end one way. It would have taken a brave leader to have proposed it but allowing a couple of million to come here from Hong Kong back in 1997 would have been the honourable thing to do. With the work ethic for which they are renowned they would have been a welcome addition. |
Are you sure it can only end with a massacre? This is a massive turnout and is concentrated in a city that is supposed to have a degree of autonomy. A lot will depend on whether the Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, is forced to resign and on who replaces her. The Beijing administration can head off a fledgling independence movement by giving in on this single issue and taking a softer line in future but it appears to me that the numbers demonstrating are going to make it difficult for Xi to get away with continuing an authoritarian line.
Of course, that would weaken his reputation and could trigger further protests on mainland China. But it may embolden protesters anyway, and it is on the mainland that I would expect the greater likelihood of a repeat of Tianenman Square.
As regards allowing the migration of two million residents of Hong Kong into the United Kingdom, it may have had some precedent given the granting of passports to former colonies of the British Empire but the rules would have been set out in the agreed Sino-British Joint Declaration which ended the ninety nine year lease, bit of a special case Hong Kong. As it was half a million did leave Hong Kong in the years leading up to the 1997 handover:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Tide_of_migration
It is worth bearing in mind that not everyone wants to leave their homeland and that another two million leaving may have made the city more docile and less resistant to Beijing's influence.
As the Chinese curse says 'May you live in interesting times'... | |
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| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 22:12 - Jun 16 with 911 views | wkj |
Scroungers and university tossers most likely |  |
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| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 22:17 - Jun 16 with 907 views | TractorWood |
I was there in 2014 during the umbrella protests. I wandered near their camp by mistake and policeman was friendly enough to advise on a route back to the main drag.
It's a paradoxical place. Quasi ruled by China but with fierce beliefs around free speech and the right to protest. Suspect China will just erode them down eventually. Fair play to the protesters. |  |
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| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 09:36 - Jun 17 with 843 views | WeWereZombies |
| These demonstrations in Hong Kong, impressive turnout on 22:17 - Jun 16 by TractorWood |
I was there in 2014 during the umbrella protests. I wandered near their camp by mistake and policeman was friendly enough to advise on a route back to the main drag.
It's a paradoxical place. Quasi ruled by China but with fierce beliefs around free speech and the right to protest. Suspect China will just erode them down eventually. Fair play to the protesters. |
One of the leaders of those 'umbrella' protests back in 2014 has now been freed and has immediately called for Lam to resign:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-48659073 | |
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