H.K. democracy, Beijing backers face off
BY ALEJANDRA
O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
Protesters rallying at Confucius
Plaza for Hong Kong democracy
were met by hundreds of pro-Beijing
counterprotesters on Sat., Aug 17.
The pro-Beijing crowd was a sea of
red as they waved Chinese fl ags and
signs with the words “One China”
across the street from the plaza.
This weekend’s protest was the
fourth demonstration organized by the
group NY4HK (New Yorkers for Hong
Kong) but was the fi rst time the group
has faced a counterprotest.
Before the pro-mainland China
group’s arrival, tensions were already
high at the rally since some members
had seen threats against them on
WeChat, a popular Chinese messaging
platform. Some individuals posted
images of bullets, handguns and even
an AK-47 rifl e. According to NY4HK,
some messengers posted a text saying,
“We are ready.”
According to NY4HK, the pro-China
group believed the Confucius Plaza
rally was for Hong Kong independence,
a misconception fed to them by the
Chinese state media.
“With WeChat and their own censored
news, it is very easy for them to
misunderstand,” Ken from NY4HK explained.
All told, between the two factions,
several hundred people fi lled Confucius
Plaza and the area around it.
Beijing supporters followed prodemocracy
protesters as they marched
across the Manhattan Bridge and to
Manhattan Bridge Small Park, where
a second, slightly smaller rally took
place. Gothamist reported that pro-
Beijing protesters began throwing
bottles at the pro-democracy group as
they walked across the bridge. Shortly
into the second protest, a small group
of China backers attempted to storm
the park but were stopped by police offi
cers.
According to NY4HK, the large turnout
of China supporters is a reminder
of the division that has always existed
within the Chinese-American community.
Exacerbating that division within
the community abroad and in the U.S.
was not the pro-democracy protesters’
intention.
During the protests on either side of
the Manhattan Bridge, Hong Kong legislators
Dennis Kwok and Alvin Yeung
spoke words of encouragement, and
called on Hong Kong’s government
to meet protesters’ fi ve demands. The
protests in Hong Kong are now in their
11th week.
“We are not afraid of them. We will
not back down,” said Kwok, a member
of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council,
speaking to the prodemocracy protesters.
Yeung also shared words of encouragement
and support.
PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
Beijing supporters held a counterprotest across the street from Saturday’s Hong Kong-democracy rally at
Confucius Plaza.
“We stand together on the fi ve demands
that Hong Kongers are reasonably
demanding,” Yeung declared.
The democracy protesters’ fi rst demand
is the complete withdrawal of the
extradition bill. The contentious piece
of legislation would allow individuals
in Hong Kong to be extradited to places
previously lacking an extradition treaty
with the semi-autonomous territory,
like mainland China.
The second demand is stop the labeling
of the protests as “riots.” The
Chinese state media has branded the
mostly peaceful protests “riots,” which
is problematic due to the 10-year prison
sentence one can get for rioting in
Hong Kong.
In their third demand, they want an
independent investigation into excessive
use of force by the Hong Kong
police and possible collaboration with
the triads, organized crime groups. In
July, a group of more than 100 men
armed with metal rods began beating
protesters and bystanders at a train station.
Police, arriving late to the scene
of the attack, initially made no arrests,
according to The New York Times. Police
later arrested a few individuals who
had ties to the organized crime group.
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive,
responded by promising a policeled
investigation into the incident.
The democracy protesters’ fourth demand
is for the release of the detained
protesters in Hong Kong. The fi fth is
the for the region’s chief executive and
Legislative Council members to be
elected by popular vote, rather than by
an election committee.
PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
Democracy protesters in Confucius Plaza covered their right eyes in
honor of a young woman who was shot in the eye with a beanbag at a
Hong Kong protest and nearly lost her vision. The image of the wounded
woman — believed to be a medic — is a symbol of the movement.
PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
Hong Kong legislator Alvin Yeung gave words of encouragement to the
crowd of prodemocracy protesters at Confucius Plaza on Sat., Aug. 17.
4 August 22, 2019 TVG Schneps Media