A lone last tent stands defiant beneath the two flags, one system.
The Hong Kong Legislative Building includes a Designated Demonstration Area (DDA) underneath it’s ‘drum’ where anyone can legally protest about anything to the government. Yet it seems that the people elected by Hongkongers to serve and represent them are getting selective in the disputes they like to hear/see. Or rather, they’re too lazy to walk 50m and want the prestige of being driven to the door in their chauffeured transport (paid for by taxpayers of course).
The tented pro-Democracy protest site in the DDA – which was also raising awareness of recycling and objecting to the waste of public money that is the new incinerator (a topic for another day) – was cleared today 15 December, 2015 so that Chinese Premiere Xi is appeased when he visits Macau to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the Macau SAR.
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The PTU hack down the Umbrella Square study area, a place built with love for the futures of Hong Kong students.
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In a rare display of common sense the bailiffs and the police decided not to allow the plaintiffs hired help to clear Nathan Road. The red hatted, I luv HK wearing shirted ‘helpers’ were dressed to inflame and several people previously seen wearing blue ribbons and assaulting protestors were recognised. A violent confrontation was thus avoided. Not that the police were above shoving journalists and whoever was on Nathan Road as they marched down the street – clearing people first and obstacles second, a reverse of yesterday’s Argyle Street clearance. No bailiffs were in evidence, as the police marched aggressively down the road accompanied by the now familiar yellow towers hosting tear-spray armed police.
At the start of clearance student leaders Joshua Wong and Lester Shum were dragged off and arrested by police, although they appeared to be doing nothing more than standing there waiting for the clearance to commence, as was everyone else. The announcement regarding arrests was only made two-thirds of the way down Nathan Road, so the arrest of the leaders looks like a targeted move.
The red caps didnt like having their photo taken – turning away to hide their faces. It’s rumoured the 200 clearance helpers were paid $1000 each.
Click on any of the photos to access the full gallery of today, apologies that the duplicates are not edited out – a little too much going on.
The bailiff’s moved to enforce the court injunction on Argyle Street in Mongkok today 25 November, 2104. The first part of the day, the removal of the barricades and obstructions passed smoothly if slowly and disorderly. The massed ranks of the media and onlookers perhaps proving more of a hindrance than the small number of protestors. It took several hours for the obstructions to be removed as the bailiff’s took a few bits away, stopped conferred took a few more. As the mainly rubbish and junk was removed the police line slowly advance into the short occupied section of Argyle Street where a stand-off as to what would happen next ensued.
There were lots – 4 on top of the MTR entrance with me and at least 4 more they spoke and shared information with on the road – of plainclothes mainland police or intelligence (identified by listening to their conversations) videoing and looking to identify anyone who looked like a protestor / spoke to protestor / appeared to be against the police action.
After the bailiffs tried to move forward through the massed ranks of people, someone – he didn’t identify himself or his position in English – announced in Chinese and English that the bailiffs had officially requested help from the police to enforce the injunction. (So what were the police doing helping them earlier if they hadn’t been asked to?). A further announcement of arrests with multiple criminal charges if obstructions continued was made. Then the bailiffs all moved to the back and three ranks of plainclothes police ahead of lines of uniformed officers moved aggressively into the ranks of protestors, media and onlookers. Why are plainclothes police being used? Most of the plainclothes officers were actively hiding their identities and warrant cards – either by not wearing them or hanging them under clothing.
As the plainclothes police moved in, several aggressive arrests were made and as those arrested were passed backwards it was easy to see from my high vantage point the police beating them unnecessarily. If you have 6 guys carrying a persons arms and legs why do you need a couple more hitting and kneeing in the head and ribs?
The altercations and scuffles over the final bit of the Argyle Street clearance were precipitated by the actions of the police – again why were plain clothes officers in black vests with no visible id being used instead of uniformed officers? The needlessly violent arrest of a few – none of whom, that I saw, resisted arrested – by police has triggered the evening’s actions across Mongkok – perhaps that was the plan. The use of pepper spray and a water/vapour version of tear gas (which doesn’t such a negative visual impact in the media as tear gas does) is ongoing across Mongkok with police indifferent as to who is sprayed – protestor, journalist or innocent passer-bye.
