Occupy Central
Occupy Central is a civil disobedience movement which began in Hong Kong on September 28, 2014. It calls on thousands of protesters to block roads and paralyse Hong Kong's financial district if the Beijing and Hong Kong governments do not agree to implement universal suffrage for the chief executive election in 2017 and the Legislative Council elections in 2020 according to "international standards." The movement was initiated by Benny Tai Yiu-ting (戴耀廷), an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, in January 2013.
Umbrella Movement
The Umbrella Movement (Chinese: 雨傘運動; pinyin: yǔsǎn yùndòng) is a loose political movement that was created spontaneously during the Hong Kong protests of 2014. Its name derives from the recognition of the umbrella as a symbol of defiance and resistance against the Hong Kong government, and the united grass-roots objection to the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) of 31 August.
The movement consists of individuals numbering in the tens of thousands who participated in the protests that began on 28 September 2014, although Scholarism, the Hong Kong Federation of Students, Occupy Central with Love and Peace, groups are principally driving the demands for the rescission of the NPCSC decision.
The movement consists of individuals numbering in the tens of thousands who participated in the protests that began on 28 September 2014, although Scholarism, the Hong Kong Federation of Students, Occupy Central with Love and Peace, groups are principally driving the demands for the rescission of the NPCSC decision.
Occupy Central site in an area surrounding the Legislative Council and Central Government Offices at Tamar were cleared 22-06-2015.
Hong Kong reform vote
The Hong Kong government’s political reform proposal for how the city elects its leader by universal suffrage for the first time in 2017 is based on a strict framework set by Beijing. The plan limits the number of candidates to two or three and requires them to win majority support from a 1,200 strong nominating committee. Arguing that this does not constitute genuine universal suffrage, pan-democratic lawmakers have vowed to reject the package, while pro-democracy groups have protested. The government’s resolution was to be put to a vote by the 70-member Legislative Council in June 2015, requiring a two-thirds majority to be passed.
POST OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 288
POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 103 (29-09-2015)
POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 103 (29-09-2015)
Full coverage of the day’s events
Coconuts HKFrontline
What’s up with Hong Kong legal academia?
By Dr. Eva Pils
The long delay in the appointment of Prof Johannes Chan, former Dean of the Hong Kong University Faculty of Law, to the position as pro-vice chancellor, for which he was put forward as the only candidate by an expert search committee, has been puzzling, as no good reason has been given for the delay.
The best explanations currently available for the delay make it alarming for anyone concerned about Hong Kong’s civil liberties and its standing as a centre of scholarly excellence in East Asia and the world.
Johannes Chan Man-mun. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
From 2002 until 2014, Prof Chan was the Dean of an internationally renowned institution of legal learning.
His recommendation as sole candidate by an independent search committee for the position of pro-vice chancellor was in no way surprising. Yet the University’s governing body (the HKU Council) has repeatedly delayed his appointment, and sought to justify its hesitation by the need to await the appointment of a deputy vice-chancellor.
Although no rule or established practice suggests the need to wait, no other reason has been given for the delay, which has allowed for an astonishing slew of attacks on Prof Chan to be published in the Beijing-friendly media.
These articles have questioned Prof Chan’s personal and academic integrity and suggested, inter alia, that his running of the faculty led it to become overly engaged in politics and to slip in terms of its academic standards.
The University of Hong Kong. Photo: 马克爱生活 via flickr.
In my view, the Faculty thrived under Prof Chan’s deanship. As a European scholar who relocated from the Chinese University Law Faculty to London in 2014, I remember Hong Kong University’s Law Faculty with gratitude and great respect.
Nothing could have surpassed the collegiality, hospitality and openness of colleagues over at HKU when I started out in Hong Kong, arriving from the United States in 2007. I recall how impressed I was by my first glimpses of its free and vibrant academic life, as well as its sense of responsibility as an institution serving the local community, as much as our global community of scholars.
It was clear that the openness and diversity of views to be found at the Faculty was at least in part due to the role of Dean Chan, whose work as a constitutional scholar I came to appreciate as I became more interested in Hong Kong’s fascinating (if also worrisome) constitutional situation.
I am, of course, not privy to the reasoning of the HKU Council. Nor do I know about the flow of information, advice or instruction that may have played a role in the Council’s disappointing hesitation to appoint the only recommended candidate, despite expressions of support from 7,821 alumni and current Vice-Chancellor Peter Mathieson.
Photo: HKFP.
Nonetheless, two explanations suggest themselves as plausible: first, a possible concern about Prof Chan’s well-known uprightness in adhering to his belief in the value of academic freedom. And second, the possibility that Prof Chan has been used for a campaign that is not so much about him as it is about setting an example to intimidate others.
After all, “media sentencing” of individuals whose reputation for uprightness is an irritant to the government is a widely used tactic widely used practice in mainland China.
As a scholar of Chinese law and human rights, I believe that the media campaigns there serve undoubtedly repressive purposes: they are meant to produce fear in those who see the target humiliated, more than they are meant to persuade anyone through evidence or arguments that the person in question did anything wrong.
I hope that the campaign against Prof Chan will not succeed in producing something similar in Hong Kong. Appointing Prof Chan would be a step to rebuild trust in the integrity of the way Hong Kong’s academic institutions are governed.
Dr Eva Pils is Reader in Transnational Law at King’s College London and a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at New York University’s U.S.-Asia Law Institute.
‘Open the roads!’ – Tensions flare at Admiralty protest, a year since mass rallies
Tensions flared between Hong Kong protesters and police Monday evening as crowds gathered a year to the day after the start of huge pro-democracy rallies which brought parts of the city to a standstill.
All day crowds had numbered just a few hundred, a reflection of the movement’s loss of momentum after failing to push Beijing into allowing fully free leadership elections in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.
But as 5:58 pm neared — the exact time a year ago when police fired tear gas at protesters — hundreds more poured in to the roads and walkways near government headquarters in the Admiralty financial district.
Pro-democracy protesters hackle anti-Occupy “blue ribbon” protesters. Photo: HKFP.
Instead of a planned moment of silence, protesters opened yellow umbrellas — symbol of the pro-democracy movement — while police warned them to back down, saying they would “use force” if they tried to occupy the nearby main road.
See also: HKFP’s live blog, which followed Monday’s protest as it unfolded.
Hundreds of angry demonstrators shouting “Open the roads!” faced off with tense police for more than an hour at the edge of the main road before the crowds dispersed voluntarily.
Photo: HKFP.
At the height of the 2014 protests, which lasted for 79 days, tens of thousands regularly gathered to demand political reform in a major challenge to China‘s communist rulers.
Yet despite the unprecedented rallies which garnered extensive coverage across the world, protesters were unable to force change.
Frustrated activists now say they must regroup and come up with new strategies, conceding that changing the minds of Beijing and the Hong Kong government is currently a hopeless task.
Protest leaders on Monday encouraged the crowd to fight on.
Occupy Central convenor Chan Kin-man addresses the rally. Photo: HKFP.
“The authorities will still be against us but that doesn’t mean we will give up,” said student leader Lester Shum.
Occupy Central co-founder Benny Tai called 2014 “one of the most important years in Hong Kong history”.
“The Umbrella Movement… was just the beginning for Hongkongers in their quest for democracy,” he said.
Lack of progress
Some protesters expressed anger at the lack of progress.
“We have not achieved universal suffrage,” a woman in her 30s, who gave her name as Lam, told AFP.
“Society is not geared to helping Hongkongers.”
Others relaxed in the sun and browsed stalls of Umbrella Movement memorabilia.
One couple posed for pre-wedding photos, the bride-to-be in a strapless white wedding dress with a construction helmet — often worn during the rallies.
Dozens of pro-Beijing supporters also marched in central Hong Kong on Monday afternoon, shouting “Hong Kong people have had enough!” They accuse democracy activists of disrupting daily life.
Pro-government rally in Central. Photo: HKFP.
Occupy Central was launched exactly a year ago, calling for fully free leadership elections, following more than a week of student protests.
Thousands joined the already large crowds after police fired tear gas in the afternoon of September 28 last year, a move that shocked the public and galvanised the Umbrella Movement — named after the umbrellas used to ward off sun, rain, tear gas and pepper spray.
The protests began after China‘s central government said it would allow a popular vote for Hong Kong’s leader in 2017. But it insisted candidates must be vetted, in what critics termed “fake democracy”.
The electoral package was voted down in June by pro-democracy lawmakers unhappy with the restrictions, leaving the territory with its existing system where the leader is chosen by a pro-Beijing election committee.
Lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung addresses the crowd. Photo: HKFP.
Amnesty International called Monday for Beijing to release eight mainland activists detained for supporting last year’s protests.
Human Rights Watch last week called for an “independent and thorough investigation” into the Hong Kong government’s handling of the Umbrella Movement.
A number of activists are facing court cases over the protests while police allegedly involved in beating a protester have yet to be prosecuted.
LIVE: One year on, Hong Kong commemorates the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement
Welcome to the HKFP live blog as Hong Kong marks one year since the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement protests began. Click here for a list of today’s events, or here for full coverage. See also: HKFP’s photos from exactly a year ago.
最後更新 : 2015/09/28 21:08
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Almost all protesters have now dispersed, leaving just police officers on the scene. At least 1,000 attended today's rally.
Patrick, the bagpiper at today's rally, is originally from Canada. He came to Hong Kong eight years ago and says that he likes to stay in touch with local politics.
"When the police were making their announcement I thought I'd be cheeky and start playing so that people couldn't hear what he was announcing - he was telling people to get off the road - so I noticed people were starting to get quite excited about that. And then one woman said "lead us!" and pushed me into the crowd. I managed to get all the way to the barriers and, at that point, I was thinking, 'am I supposed to jump over them now'? I don't think that's really going to work!"
People Power's Tam Tak-chi urges protesters to support four organisations: The Hong Kong Federation of Students, Scholarism, People Power & the League of Social Democrats, as he says they are the ones who are mostly targeted for arrest.
As it is also Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in Hong Kong today, some protesters have released Occupy lanterns.
After an almost hour-long standoff People Power activists have retreated, but are calling on protesters to occupy other areas.
Meanwhile, on the main stage, the MC repeats a quote from Leung Kwok-Hung "Long Hair": "We win, we win together; we lose, we lose together."
At least one person has, unsuccessfully, attempted to mount one of the police barricades.
Former-student leader Lester Shum is on stage alongside Alex Chow.
Shum: "This is such a scary thing - being dragged into a police car and then being beaten up. When I was in Mong Kok, I was just pressed down to the floor and I was already so scared... When people are standing up to a dictatorship, they try to suppress us. Police baton, tear gas, they're all there."
Police are putting on gloves near the bridge at the MTR exit.
As the stand-off continues, People Power's Tam Tak-chi is calling for "fluid occupy" - a strategy whereby activists attempt to occupy different areas spontaneously.
Singer Denise Ho is on stage: "So many emotions are running through my mind right now - many of us are thinking, after those 79 days, what we can do? I see many of the faces that I've become familiar with during the movement. As long as we keep doing the right thing, we can be of use in our own sphere, be it a singer or any other profession. Remember I will walk with all of you in this."
Police are repeatedly warning People Power activists over a loudspeaker: "Mr Tam Tak-chi, I warn you again - do not incite people to block major roads. I hope other people will be rational and go back to Tim Mei Avenue for the rally that we have opened. There is no need to occupy Harcourt Road."
A spokesperson for the Umbrella Assistance Fund holds a placard with a bank account number. They say that they "received HK$820,000 in donations from Hong Kong citizens." The group assists those who are in legal battles related to the protests and those who were affected by the 79-day occupation.
As tensions rise, a bagpiper appears - with little explanation.
The 20-minute stalemate continues, though some have taken down their umbrellas.
The stand-off continues as the sun sets.
Erica Yuen of People Power tells HKFP that there are people pretending to be party members here. She said that People Power members do not wear masks.
There now appears to be a standoff as thousands of protesters remain at the Harcourt Road junction with yellow umbrellas unfurled.
The speaker system on the main stage and the police address systems are battling each other.
Police warn People Power activists not to incite protesters by storming barricades.
The planned "moment of silence" passed without being observed. Instead, police are guarding both sides of Harcourt Road as the crowd jeers.
People Power protesters are set to face-off with police at the junction of Tim Mei Avenue and Harcourt Road.
Many thousands of people are now gathered at Admiralty, the former Occupy site.
There will be a moment of silence at 5:58pm to mark one year since police used tear gas on protesters.
People Power protesters are pouring on to Tim Mei Avenue at its junction with Harcourt Road whilst jeering the police.
Pop singer Anthony Wong speaks to HKFP: "We should continue to be concerned about Hong Kong in every aspect. To make Hong Kong a better place, it's not only about Occupy - for example, we need to vote and not only focus on the 79 days of Occupy. There are many things we need to voice out as well."
Pro-democracy political party People Power have said they will ignore police warnings and may attempt to reoccupy Harcourt Road at 5:58pm. Police are now moving barricades into place at the junction and securing them with cable ties.
Leung Kwok-Hung "Long Hair" has made an appeal to the crowd: "When Xi Jinping is talking about harmony, [Hong Kong Chief Executive] CY says he's transcendent.."
"Every day, some of our friends are dragged to the court and we must not forget them... Everyone please make sure that everyone who was arrested at Occupy - they always have support. The second thing is - please donate - our fight is not over and hearings require money"
Lawmaker Albert Ho hails the Pan-democrats in the LegCo: "Last year's protest gained exposure around the world. The last Occupy site was cleared on December 11th, but our hearts - in fighting for democracy - have not faded. Pan-democrats have crushed the June 18 political reform package... The 28:8 vote is not a coincidence - it's those who are political slaves, puppets in a show that are losing their strings."
Pan-democrats are now addressing the crowd. The Labour Party's Cyd Ho says: "We rejected the political reform package and we can defend Hong Kong."
"We hope everyone gained experience from last year and will be more prepared for protests in the future," Ho added.
Student leader and Scholarism convenor Joshua Wong is now addressing the crowd.
Wong says: "I do not wish the Occupy anniversary to be a commemoration event in one year, two years or 20 years. Even though we had 200,000 people joining, we did not achieve our goal of democracy. What can we do in the other 364 days? I hope we do not make this into a festival. I just want to say we saw a miracle on 28/9/2014, other than remembering, I hope we can all work together in the other days."
Student leaders are now speaking.
Nathan Law says, "we need to resist the regime in every aspect in life. I think we should say we have been enlightened, that life has many possibilities, that we can have our rights."
"I know people are disappointed the protest did not achieve much - but revolution is not only about changing the government, it is to pass on our memories and to fight on," Law added.
Police have announced that two traffic lanes on Tim Mei Avenue will be closed for the rally due to the volume of people arriving.
Occupy co-founder Reverend Chu Yiu-ming: "Some people say [Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-Ying] is transcendent. That kind of crazy person usually starts wars, starts tragedy in the hong kong. We need to resist this force, do not lose our confidence, we will fight till the end for our rights."
Occupy co-founder Chan Kin-Man: "Many who fight for democracy need decades - we should not be discouraged because of our failure now. Mandela in prison realised that he could continue the battle, fighting for equality of treatment in prison... the most important thing is to be honest and stay true to our conscience."
The original Occupy Central convenors are addressing the crowd.
Benny Tai: "2014's 79 day Occupy was only Umbrella Movement 1.0 - it's only a start in our fight for democracy... We will have continuous direct actions to fight for democracy... We need a stronger network to let more people to fight for democracy with us together... to build a mechanism to let all people fighting for democracy communicate"
Former Hong Kong Federation of Students leader Alex Chow said: "The attitude with which Hong Kong people demonstrated last year during the Occupy movement... it's what we need for any kind of change in the future. I hope everyone will remember the courage and determination HKers showed. If we do not give up, we will not fail"
Pro-government "Blue Ribbon" protesters arrived at Admiralty just now.
The group was heckled by pro-democracy protesters.
'Dorothy', of the Anti-Political Persecution campaign says: "We aim to link civil groups and political parties: The Occupy trio, HKFP and Scholarism will review what's happened last year."
Barricades have been erected by police around Harcourt Road to prevent another occupation. Officers are observing protesters from the bridge.
The pro-goverment rally is on the move.
"Chase away yellow ribbon scumbags, restore harmory," they chant.
Protesters have erected a huge banner saying "I want genuine universal suffrage" on Tim Mei Avenue outside LegCo.
Crowds are gathering...
At the pro-government rally in Causeway Bay, one protester told HKFP why she attended: "A bunch of yellow ribbons initiated the occupy movement - they're in the judiciary too - and they received large sums of payment from the US, starting projects like Occupy. Like in Serbia and Yugoslavia. They're all in this together - including Johannes Chan from HKU. I'm pissed off about the whole thing."
"September 28 is a sad day for Hong Kong, it's not worth commemorating," the organiser of a pro-government rally in Chater Garden has just told the media. The group are set to march to Admiralty shortly.
People Power have placed an array of yellow umbrellas around the site.
Meanwhile, Ray Chan sarcastically thanks police for helping to spark the Umbrella Movement protests with their use of tear gas.
Police have said up to 4,000 officers may be deployed today depending upon the situation.
On stage over at Admiralty, People Power's Tam Tak-chi again urges people to sit on Harcourt Road for 87 minutes at 5:58pm in protest of the 87 tear gas canisters police fired last year. Police have warned them not to.
"We pay our tax money for the tear gas, we paid CY Leung's salary! We need to show more anger than simply standing to commemorate the anniversary," Tam says.
Around 300 protesters are now gathered around the LegCo site.
Our reporter in Causeway Bay is following a second pro-government, anti-Occupy rally.
A spokesperson for the organising group, known as the Protect Hong Kong Movement, said that they are representing the 7 million people of Hong Kong in expressing their discontent towards the pro-democracy Occupy movement. He also compared members of the HKU Alumni Concern Group to KKK members, saying that they used the same tactics of threatening and oppression to pressure the HKU council into voting for Johannes Chan.
Chan, often perceived to be pro-democracy in his politics, was approved to take on the role of pro-vice chancellor of the University of Hong Kong. However, this now hangs in the balance with the HKU Council is set to vote on the matter tomorrow.
Leather yellow ribbons are being constructed over in Admiralty.
Hong Kong's 15-year-old 'Chalk girl' activist told HKFP that she felt today's anniversary events were a little "too intentional" that there were too many organisations and leaders making decisions. She said that, since her age was known to the public, others were a bit too protective of her and that she had hoped no-one would remember her.
The teenager head the headlines last year after she was arrested for chalking on the legislative building's outer wall.
Over at Chater Garden, pro-government protest organiser Tang Dak-dak says that pan-democratic politicians "do not represent" them.
"We are here to show most people don't agree with Occupy Central," he said.
Several dozen protesters have now gathered - some are fanning themselves in the heat.
More artworks have appeared around the LegCo building...
Farmers from the northeast New Territories area have brought a lotus they grew during a protests to save their farmlands. They say the lotus, when reversed, resembles an umbrella.
There are now around 200 pro-democracy demonstrators gathered around the Admiralty government buildings. One group has posted a list of the seven police officers accused of beating Civic Party activist Ken Tsang. The police watchdog has yet to investigate the incident.
Fewer than a dozen people are gathered at another pro-government protest in Central's Chater Garden.
The group is set to kick off a in protest of Hong Kong's pan-democrats - they are set to arrive in Admiralty later this afternoon.
Protesters have donned patriotic attire as upbeat music blares.
Currently, they are outnumbered by domestic workers enjoying their day off for Mid-Autumn Festival.
In Admiralty, the stage is set for this evening's events...
Artworks have reappeared around the LegCo site...
Umbrella t-shirt printing, which was very popular at last year's protests, has also returned...
The blue ribbon protesters accuse Occupy Central convenor Chan Kin-man of being akin to a cultural revolution leader, inciting the student leaders to take part in the movement.
Meanwhile, our reporter in Causeway Bay is with group of around 30 demonstrators, many wearing blue caps, gathered at Hang Lung Centre to protest against the Umbrella Movement. Protesters are waving Chinese flags and chanting: "Joshua Wong deserves to go to jail". They are also chanting slogans criticising the Department of Justice for failing to prosecute the Occupy Central leaders.
The group told HKFP that the Occupy movement had damaged Hong Kong's economy, rule of law and social harmony. They said that the pan-democrats had brainwashed the public and were spreading the "words of the devil".
The group told HKFP that the Occupy movement had damaged Hong Kong's economy, rule of law and social harmony. They said that the pan-democrats had brainwashed the public and were spreading the "words of the devil".
Fewer than 100 protesters are currently gathered around the legislature. With temperatues in the 30s, some are resting in the demonstration area at the rear of the LegCo building.
A young activist known as 'Chalk girl' told HKFP how she wrongly heard that people were planning to stage an occupation in Causeway Bay. After checking late last night, she ended up sleeping near the Central Government Offices overnight. Today, she says she is feeling very tired.
The teenager head the headlines last year after she was arrested for chalking on the legislative building's outer wall.
Welcome to the Hong Kong Free Press live blog.
- Occupy Central convenor and pro-democracy political party People Power are already gathered at the legislature to mark the first anniversary of the Umbrella Movement protests.
- Anti-Occupy "Blue Ribbon" rallies are set to commence at lunchtime with marches in Central and Causeway Bay.
- This evening a moment of silence is planned at 5:58pm, when the first rounds of tear gas were fired at protesters exactly a year ago.
Click here for a full list of events planned for today.
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