Hong Kong teachers rally in thunderstorm at start of weekend of protests

Several thousand Hong Kong school teachers and supporters braved thunderstorms on Saturday to start a weekend of anti-government protests, despite fears that police could adopt tougher tactics to drive activists off the streets. </s> HONG KONG, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Protests turned chaotic Saturday but ultimately ended without violence, as Hong Kong's long summer of discontent continued to simmer for an 11th straight weekend.

A rally of teachers in the morning and a youth-led march during the afternoon drew tens of thousands to the streets in support of a pro-democracy movement that is pushing against the increasing influence of Beijing on Hong Kong affairs.

"Hong Kong is our home," said Ikie Fung, a 23-year-old student who joined the afternoon protests. "We cannot let this place die. We can't let Hong Kong turn into China.

Marchers chanted a variety of slogans that have emerged during the summer of protests, including "add oil," a common Hong Kong expression that is a show of support and encouragement.

The protest movement began in earnest in early June in response to an extradition bill that would make it easier for criminal suspects to be tried in mainland China's court system. It has evolved into a movement that seeks to hold onto autonomy in legal and political affairs under the "one country, two systems" arrangement with Beijing that has been in place since 1997.

Another frequent refrain Saturday was "an eye for an eye," referring to a female medic who was allegedly blinded in one eye by a police projectile last weekend. The phrase and the image of the wounded girl has becoming a rallying cry for protesters, highlighting anger with what many consider the brutal tactics Hong Kong police have employed.

"The police have worsened the situation," protester Margaret Ho said. "They attack and harass protesters and beat innocent citizens and the government hasn't done anything to stop them."

As the afternoon march dispersed, a splinter group of protesters defaced the headquarters of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, an organization widely viewed as pro-Beijing and which has been critical of the protest movement, with eggs and graffiti.

Another group massed near a police station along the busy commercial thoroughfare of Nathan Road. A large police contingent in riot gear emerged and a standoff ensued for several tense minutes before protesters ultimately dispersed.

Many chanted that they were saving their energy for tomorrow, when a major demonstration organized by the Civil Human Rights Front is scheduled at Hong Kong's Victoria Park. The organizers were responsible for the massive rallies in June and July which drew hundreds of thousands of participants, and most are expecting an enormous turnout Sunday.

Sunday's demonstration could prove to be a litmus test for which direction the protests are heading, as the movement showed signs of strain this week with an airport sit-in that grounded hundreds of flight and turned violent. The chaos swayed some public opinion against the protesters, and prompted organizers to apologize.

A counter-rally was also held Saturday, with pro-Beijing supporters waving Chinese flags and giving speeches denouncing the anti-government protesters.

All eyes will continue to be on Beijing, which has decried the protests as "terrorism emerging" and has vowed not to let things get out of control. Chinese state-run media has carried videos showing armored troop carriers driving to the border city of Shenzhen.

However, China seems to be concentrating for the moment at exerting pressure on Hong Kong's business community. Rupert Hogg, the CEO of Hong Kong flagship carrier Cathay Pacific, resigned suddenly on Friday along with other senior officials after heavy criticism from Beijing over some of its staff supporting the protests.

The pro-democracy protesters on Saturday, however, said that they were not afraid of China.

"I'm not worried about Beijing," said 49-year-old teacher Kacey Wong. "If they send their murderous [People's Liberation Army] into Hong Kong we will go on a general strike and shut down the city. The whole world will see how brutal they are."

Other demonstrators on Saturday said they had no plans of stopping their movement until all of their demands are met. In addition to the withdrawal of the extradition bill, protesters have called for unpopular Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to step down, as well as an investigation into the actions of the police during the demonstrations and direct elections to choose the city's political leaders.

"We will not stop until the government treats us humanely," said Belle Lau, 27. "This movement has many different classes, many different ages. Hong Kong people have never been as united as we are now." </s> Hong Kong's summer of discontent looks set to continue sizzling as organisers of yesterday's massive but peaceful rally said there would be another demonstration on Aug 31, and some students said they would boycott classes when the new term starts next month.

Mr Jimmy Sham, convener of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), the group behind the larger protests since June 9, said it has applied for another march from Chater Garden in Central to Beijing's liaison office on the western side of Hong Kong Island on Aug 31.

Aug 31 is "the fifth anniversary of the National People's Congress's undemocratic and restrictive decision on universal suffrage in Hong Kong", the CHRF said.

Worries of more aggressive police tactics plagued student protesters and many told The Straits Times of their fears, but said they still intend to heed calls to boycott classes in September.

Ms Tse Ngo Yi, 25, a part-time sophomore at Education University of Hong Kong, said she would stay at protest venues for "as long as possible", adding: "My parents fully support my decision."

Mr Jeffrey Wong, 23, a final-year student at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said he will skip classes, if necessary, to pressure the government to respond to the people's demands, including the withdrawal of the now-suspended extradition Bill. "They think that once the summer holidays end, we will have to go back to school, but today's turnout shows that they are mistaken."

However, others, like Hong Kong Baptist University student Ken Tsui, 23, are thinking twice about participating on the front lines. He told ST that the police have stepped up stop-and-search measures against young people. While it would not deter him from joining rallies, he tries not to stay out late.

"I'm ashamed to say that because it feels like I'm not giving my full support to the others, but I'm afraid for my safety as more than 700 people have been arrested."

The police have made some 750 arrests since the June 9 protests.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's associate professor Dixon Sing recounted that more than 100 people were arrested on Aug 11, and this has prompted front-line radicals to consider "the overall risks for mounting either a Hong Kong-wide protest or to concentrate in one area".

"The risks for both strategies would have been elevated because in the past they believed that if they have enough manpower to spread around, they can wear down the police. This tactic has proven to have failed given last Sunday's massive arrests," Prof Sing said.

Still, hundreds lingered in Harcourt Road late last night, after police issued a warning for thousands of them to disperse. The police said the protesters had "shot hard objects at the Central Government Complex with slingshots and aimed laser beams at police officers".

Earlier yesterday, protesters gathered at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay for the rally initiated by CHRF. The Front said 1.7 million turned up for the police-approved static rally despite the heavy rain. While police did not approve an accompanying march, thousands packed key roads from North Point to Central on Hong Kong Island. The weekend's protests were the first largely peaceful rallies in 11th straight weekends of demonstrations.

Police, however, put the turnout at Victoria Park at 128,000 people, at its peak, yesterday.

"Today has been peaceful, which is exactly what Carrie Lam asked for," Mr Sham said, referring to the Chief Executive. "Carrie Lam must respond to the five demands in order to show Hongkongers peaceful and rational expression can be heard, accepted and met... If she continues to turn a deaf ear, she is instigating more radical struggles."

A government spokesman noted that while the rally was largely peaceful, there were inconveniences caused to the public after protesters occupied key roads. </s> The Latest: Hong Kong rallies spill over to Australia

HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong (all times local):

Protests in support of a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong have continued in Melbourne, Australia, while a pro-China march has been held in Sydney.

The Melbourne rally on Friday night turned ugly, with police moving in to separate some 100 pro-China protesters from those sympathetic to Hong Kong as low level violence flared. Saturday's protest in the southern city was peaceful.

Among the pro-Hong Kong demonstrators were members of China's Tibetan and Uighur ethnic minorities, as well as Vietnamese groups.

A pro-China march in Sydney included at least 200 protesters descending on the city's Town Hall chanting "Long Live China" and singing the Chinese national anthem.

Pro-Hong Kong rallies have also been held this week in Adelaide and Brisbane.

Another weekend of protests is underway in Hong Kong, with teachers rallying to support students and other protesters.

An overflow crowd filled a public square in the financial district on Saturday, holding signs that read "Protect the next generation."

Teachers say they want the government to answer the protesters' demands and stop using what they called police violence to disperse demonstrators.

Hong Kong's protests are in their 10th week and show no sign of relenting. A series of rallies and at least one march are planned for this weekend.

The movement's demands include the resignation of the city leader, democratic elections and an independent investigation into police use of force.

Mainland Chinese police are holding drills in nearby Shenzhen, prompting speculation they could be sent in to suppress the protests. </s> Twitter and Facebook have landed in hot water for allowing Chinese state-run media outlets to run ads on their platforms that criticize pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

In response, Twitter said Monday that it would no longer accept advertising from state-controlled news media outlets. The company also said that it suspended 936 accounts from China that attempted to sow political discord in Hong Kong including efforts to undermine the protests in Hong Kong.

Facebook said that it pulled down 5 Facebook accounts, 7 Pages and 3 Groups with ties to people linked to the Chinese government after it got a tip from Twitter. These users posted about political topics including the Hong Kong protests, but the social network said they were suspending the accounts, pages and groups for misleading others about their identity and purpose.

The moves by the social networks come amid criticism that the companies aren't doing enough to combat disinformation and propaganda on their platforms. On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of peaceful activists took to the streets of Hong Kong for the 11th week of demonstrations, CNN reported. Protesters were initially rallying against a now-suspended bill by the Hong Kong government that would have allowed people arrested Hong Kong to be transferred and tried in mainland China. Since then, the protests have expanded to include calls for more democracy and government accountability, according to CNN. Protesters have clashed with police in Hong Kong, who have reportedly fired tear gas and beat activists with batons, according to various media reports.

Now some of the world's largest social networks are under fire for the role they're playing in these political protests. Facebook and Twitter are both blocked in China, but businesses and organizations can still run ads on these platforms.

Maciej Ceglowski, developer of the social-media bookmarking site Pinboard, called on Twitter over the weekend to stop selling ads to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. One promoted tweet from the news outlet stated that "the escalating violence in Hong Kong has taken a heavy toll on the social order" and that "all walks of life in Hong Kong called for a brake to be put on the blatant violence and for order to be restored."

The Xinhua News Agency didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Twitter pointed to their blog posts about changes to their ads policy and the Chinese accounts the company removed for violating its rules against spam, fake accounts and other forms of "platform manipulation."

Chinese state-run media outlets were also using Facebook to display ads critical of Hong Kong protesters. One ad about the Hong Kong protests by Xinhua states that "calls are mounting for immediate actions to restore order," according to Facebook's ad library. Another ad says that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has voiced her support for the protesters, "should fly to Hong Kong to see what the true facts are." </s> Pro-democracy protesters walk during a march organized by teachers in Hong Kong Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. Members of China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police marched and practiced crowd control tactics at a sports complex in Shenzhen across from Hong Kong in what some interpreted as a threat against pro-democracy protesters in the semi-autonomous territory. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

HONG KONG (AP) — Pro-democracy protesters marched on one side of Hong Kong’s famous harbor on Saturday to demand the government heed their demands. Across the water, a pro-government rally called for an end to the often violent protests.

The dueling demonstrations highlighted the political divide in the semiautonomous Chinese territory, which for 10 weeks has been rocked by protests that show no signs of relenting.

“The government right now doesn’t listen to the people, and the police are too violent,” said Bobby Tse, a 76-year-old retiree who watched the pro-democracy march from a bridge. “It didn’t used to be like this. We didn’t have to protest every week. But now even though we have protests every week, the government still gives no response.”

At the pro-government rally, speakers on a stage said they love both Hong Kong and China and asked the protesters why they are afraid of China. Supporters gave a thumbs-up to police officers and posed for photos with them. Leo Chen, a 47-year-old driver, said he came out because he wants peace in his city of 7.4 million people.

“Before, everyone in Hong Kong helped each other, it was very harmonious,” he said. “Now to see it become like this, I’m not happy, so I’ve come out to show a little strength.”

Earlier Saturday, thousands of schoolteachers marched to the official residence of Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, to show support for the protesters, who have taken to the streets since early June and include many students.

Carrying signs that read “Protect the next generation” and umbrellas to ward off intermittent downpours, the teachers tied white ribbons to a metal fence near Government House. They said the government should answer the protesters’ demands and stop using what they called police violence to disperse demonstrators who have taken over streets and besieged and defaced government buildings.

“We want to protect our students, our youngsters, so teachers are willing to come out and speak for the youngsters, and also, to stand by them so they are not alone,” said Fung Wai-wah, president of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union, which organized the march.

The movement’s demands include Lam’s resignation, democratic elections and an independent investigation into police use of force. A rally in Victoria Park has been called for Sunday by a pro-democracy group that has organized three massive marches through central Hong Kong since June.

“Even though we’re all scared of getting arrested, we have to keep going,” said Minnie Lee, a 31-year-old logistics worker who joined the pro-democracy march. “What we are fighting for is democracy and our rights. We’re not doing anything wrong. If we stop now, things will only get worse.”

Tensions rose briefly after the march, with riot police deployed to chase down a group of pro-democracy protesters they said were assembling illegally outside their station, shining laser pointers and throwing eggs.

Officers formed a line on a nearby street, thumping their batons on their shields before charging.

But by that time, most protesters had already melted away into the city’s densely populated Mong Kok district, leaving officers to face angry local residents, who told them to leave and accused them of being members of crime gangs. The police eventually left without firing tear gas.

Members of China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police force have been training this week across the border in Shenzhen, fueling speculation that they could be sent in to suppress the protests. Officers didn’t appear to hold major drills on Saturday, but could be seen doing jumping jacks and stretching inside a sports stadium. Dozens of army-green armored carriers and trucks were parked inside and outside the facility.

The Hong Kong police, however, have said they are capable of handling the protests.

“I can tell you we’re confident the police have the capability to maintain law and order,” Yeung Man-pun, commander of the Kowloon City district, said Friday when asked about the possibility of a deployment of mainland security forces.

Outside of Hong Kong, demonstrations were held in support of both the pro-democracy movement and China.

In Australia, at least 200 protesters descended on Sydney Town Hall, chanting “Long live China” and singing the Chinese national anthem, while a protest in support of the pro-democracy movement continued in Melbourne.

The Melbourne rally had turned ugly on Friday night, with police moving in to separate some 100 pro-China protesters from those sympathetic to Hong Kong. Saturday’s protest in the southern city was peaceful.

In Taiwan, people held a flash mob demonstration in Taipei, the island’s capital, in support of the Hong Kong protests.

Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu, videojournalist Yves Dam Van and news assistant Phoebe Lai in Hong Kong and videojournalist Dake Kang in Shenzhen, China, contributed to this report. </s> China's army in Hong Kong has released a three-minute video showing troops carrying out "anti-riot" exercises, in what is being seen as a thinly-veiled warning to pro-democracy protesters.

The video, posted to social media, begins with a soldier shouting: "All consequences are at your own risk."

Tensions are high in Hong Kong after weeks of anti-government protests.

On Wednesday, more than 40 activists appeared in court charged with rioting, after Sunday's protest turned violent.

If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison.
• The background you need on the protests

Hong Kong, a former British colony, is part of China but enjoys unique freedoms not seen on the mainland.

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has so far stayed out of the protests that have gone on for eight consecutive weekends and brought parts of central Hong Kong to a standstill - leaving the territory's police to deal with the unrest.

But at a reception to mark the 92nd anniversary of the PLA on Wednesday, the commander of the Chinese army's garrison in Hong Kong said the protests had "seriously threatened the life and safety of Hong Kong citizens, and violated the bottom line of 'one country, two systems'.

"This should not be tolerated and we express our strong condemnation," Chen Daoxiang said, in comments reported by the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper.

The army video, posted to the Chinese social media site Weibo, shows lines of troops carrying shields and batons performing anti-riot drills. It showcases tanks, rocket launchers, water cannon and barbed wire before featuring heavily-armed troops descending from helicopters and shooting their way through the streets and into people's homes.

Protesters can also be seen being arrested and walked, with their arms tied behind their backs, to "detention points".

Observers believe the video was likely to have been filmed in Hong Kong because the local Cantonese dialect is spoken, and it features a Hong Kong taxi and a flag almost identical to one used by Hong Kong police.

The demonstrations in Hong Kong began in March over a controversial bill that would have enabled extraditions to mainland China.

The government has since suspended the bill, but protesters want it withdrawn completely.

The demonstrations have also broadened into a wider movement, with activists demanding democratic reform and an independent inquiry into police violence.

There have been eight consecutive weekends of protests, and there were violent clashes on Sunday as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters.

In a rare intervention on Monday, China's top policy office in Hong Kong condemned Sunday's violent clashes as "horrendous incidents" that have caused "serious damage to the rule of law".

A spokeswoman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the territory's "top priority" was to "restore social order". </s> Thousands of protesters on Saturday marched through a Hong Kong town to demand action against suspected triad gangs who beat up pro-democracy demonstrators last weekend.

The rally in the New Territories close to the border with mainland China went ahead despite a police ban over concerns about reprisal attacks.

Huge crowds spilled out of the town's main station and into surrounding streets where police maintained a large presence but kept their distance. Many shops were shuttered.

Some protesters chanted anti-police slogans such as "black police" and "know the law, break the law."

Public anger has been raging since last Sunday when a gang of men in white t-shirts, armed with poles and batons, set upon anti-government protesters and bystanders in Yuen Long station. Forty-five people needed hospital treatment.

Protesters say that paid gangs from the local area were responsible for the attacks and accuse the police of not protecting them. Police say they have already made a dozen arrests.

The New Territories is a more rural area of Hong Kong where many of the surrounding villages are known for links to the triad and their staunch support for the pro-Beijing establishment.

Read more: Hong Kong protests: Is the government losing control of law and order?

Saturday's rally marked the eighth consecutive week of protests in the former British colony. The demonstrations first erupted last month in opposition to plans by the local government to allow the extradition of suspected criminals to China.

The mainland's justice system is widely criticized as lacking independence and respect for human rights.

Those marches saw more than a million people take to the streets, prompting the territory's leader, Carrie Lam, to put the proposed bill on hold.

Since then, the movement has grown to include demands for direct elections, the dissolution of the current legislature, an investigation into police brutality and less Chinese interference in Hong Kong affairs.

The movement's leaders have however failed to persuade Beijing or Hong Kong's leaders to change course amid clashes with police and the storming of Hong Kong's parliament in early July by some protesters.

The United Kingdom handed Hong Kong to China in 1997 as part of an agreement that included Beijing's pledge to respect the territory's semi-autonomous status until 2047.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> HONG KONG: Hong Kong protesters are hoping to get out a huge crowd later Sunday (Aug 18) in a bid to show the city's leaders that their protest movement remains defiant despite increasingly stark warnings from Beijing.

Ten weeks of demonstrations have plunged the international finance hub into crisis and communist-ruled mainland China has taken an increasingly hardline tone, including labelling the more violent protester actions "terrorist-like".

Clashes have broken out between police and hardcore protesters but the movement has won few concessions from Beijing or the city's unelected leadership.

On Tuesday, protesters blocked passengers from boarding flights at the city's airport and later assaulted two men they accused of being Chinese spies.

The images damaged a campaign that until then had largely only targeted the police or government institutions, and prompted some soul-searching among protesters.

China's propaganda apparatus seized on the violence, with state media churning out a deluge of damning articles, pictures and videos.

State media also ran images of military personnel and armoured personnel carriers across the border in Shenzhen, prompting the United States to warn Beijing against sending in troops, which analysts say would be a reputational and economic disaster for China.

READ: Hong Kong teachers rally in thunderstorm at start of weekend of protests



In the aftermath of Tuesday's airport chaos, some protester groups apologised and vowed to hold a huge rally on Sunday.

Billed as a "rational, non-violent" protest, it is being organised by the Civil Human Rights Front, a group that eschews confrontations with police and was the driving force behind record-breaking rallies in June and July that saw hundreds of thousands of people hit the streets.

During smaller protest marches on Saturday - which ended without the kind of largescale clashes that have become so commonplace each weekend - many protesters chanted "See you in Victoria Park!" as they left the streets.

The park has long been used as the staging point for the city's years of protests and will host Sunday's demonstration.

Police have given permission for the rally to go ahead but banned a proposed march.

Previous bans in recent weeks have simply been ignored by protesters and have soon led to clashes with riot police.

The protests were sparked by opposition to a plan to allow extraditions to the mainland, but have since morphed into a wider call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city.

Under a deal signed with Britain, authoritarian China agreed to allow Hong Kong to keep its unique freedoms when it was handed back in 1997.

But many Hong Kongers feel those freedoms are being eroded, especially since China's hardline president Xi Jinping came to power.

READ: 'Too scared to buy ice cream for my son': Hong Kong protests leave some residents looking for an exit

In the last two months millions of people have hit the streets while clashes have broken out between police and small groups of hardcore protesters.

Battles between police firing tear gas and rubber bullets - and hardcore protesters using rocks, Molotov cocktails and slingshots - have since become routine in a city once renowned for its stability.

Beyond suspending the extradition bill, Beijing and city leader Carrie Lam have shown no desire to meet key demands such as an inquiry into police violence, the complete withdrawal of the bill and an amnesty.

But protesters remain unbowed, despite the arrests of more than 700 people and 11 consecutive weekends of rallies that have won few concessions.

Beijing has turned the screws on Hong Kong's businesses, pressuring them to toe the line and condemn the protesters.

On Friday, Cathay Pacific announced the shock resignation of CEO Rupert Hogg after the carrier was excoriated by Beijing because some staff supported the protests.

A day later the "Big Four" accountancy firms scrambled to distance themselves from a advert placed in a newspaper purportedly by employees saying they supported the protests.
Thousands of school teachers join the 11th weekend of anti-government protests in Hong Kong.