Hong Kong protests: A brief timeline
What was once a massive, peaceful demonstration has now erupted into bouts of riot shields and tear gas as Hong Kong protesters continue working against recent legislative introductions.
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So how did we end up here? How did we go from largely peaceful protest to police forces with full riot gear? It all started in 2018, with the murder of Poon Hiu-wing by her boyfriend, Chan Tong-kai, in Taiwan. Both were Hong Kong residents. An arrest was made after Mr. Chan admitted to the Hong Kong police, but since the murder happened in Taiwan, they could only charge Mr. Chan on charges of money laundering from using his girlfriend’s credit card after her death1. For months, this was nothing bigger than a tabloid story; it was largely contained within local news sources.
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“How did we go from largely peaceful protest to police forces with full riot gear?”
But then, in December, Taiwanese officials obtained a warrant for Mr. Chan’s arrest2 and asked for him to be extradited. There was only one problem: there was no extradition agreement between Hong Kong and Taiwan. Contact was attempted three times by the Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council over the course of 6 months, but evidently none of those calls were answered.
This put Hong Kong in a legal grey area, especially with the problem of Taiwan’s political status. Setting up an agreement with only Taiwan would certainly spark heated debate. So, in February of 2019, a bill was introduced to amend Hong Kong’s extradition policy. It would allow for Hong Kong to “detain and transfer people wanted in countries with which it has no formal extradition agreements3.” Not only would this include Taiwan, but it would also include mainland China.
Criticism and protests quickly arose. Many have said that this amendment follows a dangerous increase in Chinese interference with Hong Kong liberties. If China can demand someone be extradited and tried in mainland China, then what would stop them from taking those that, for example, have fled to Hong Kong in order to freely criticize the Chinese government? Fears of “legalizations” of abductions back to China also grew as these details become clearer, such as in the case of bookseller Lam Wing-kee12.
A month later, on March 31st, one of the first marches against this bill took place. Roughly 12,000 people took to the streets to protest. Many saw it as a lowering of standards; it seemed as though their very freedom was being given away with the passage of one amendment. As it moved through the legislative pipeline of the Hong Kong government, protests continued. On April 28th, another protest was organized, this time a march on Hong Kong’s parliament. Demands for scrapping the introduced amendment increased, this time with over 130,000 people marching according to organizers4.
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With the announcement of the second reading of the bill in early June, further resurgence of protests and demonstrations broke out. On June 9th, the largest demonstration to date, according to organizers, took place with over one million Hongkongers marching in the streets, though police put the number closer to 270,0005. The protest took a violent turn after midnight, however, as demonstrators stormed the metal barricades in front of the Legislative Council building4. As these demonstrations began setting a more violent tone, police began to escalate their own force.
“The violence escalated to a level not seen before, with frequent fights breaking out between protesters and police.”
June 12th marked the day where demonstrator demands began to shift. With accusations of police brutality increasing as tear gas and rubber bullets were fired at protesters, demands for an investigation into the police department on these accusations rose6. As police labeled the demonstration as a “riot,” an increasingly combative tone between police and demonstrators continued to prevail.
After a peaceful demonstration of over 2 million people, according to organizers, Lam issued a formal apology announcing the suspension of the bill, but kept a middle ground between pressure from both Beijing and the Hong Kong public. As Keith Bradsher of the NYTimes wrote, “[Carrie Lam] was trying to strike a difficult balance on Tuesday, showing contrition to protesters without further giving in to their demands7.”
While the suspension seemed to be a step in the right direction, it fell short of any of the protesters’ demands. Demonstrations continued into July as protesters continued to fight for their demands, which included a full withdrawal of the bill, the resignation of Carrie Lam as chief executive, and a greater protection of civil liberties.
The first of these July demonstrations occurred on July 1st. On the anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China from British rule, demonstrators from a peaceful march stormed the Legislative Council building, vandalizing it as they went. Protesters expressed anger towards a government clearly acting as “just a rubber-stamping body,” said pro-democracy legislator Claudio Mo8. Afterwards, Carrie Lam continued to emphasize that the bill was dead and that no more work would be done to push the bill forward, but still had yet to fully withdraw it as per the demands of protesters.
As July pushed forward, so too did organizers with more protests. However, things took a turn on the night of July 21st, after further protests at China’s Liaison office in Hong Kong9. That night, at Yuen Long station, a group of roughly 100 people began indiscriminately attacking commuters. When the police were called, it took almost half an hour for them to get to the scene. This only further deepened animosity towards the police, with accusations of further police brutality and neglect.
Protests become commonplace every weekend, accompanied with tear gas and rubber bullets from the police. Demonstrators began wearing protective gear and adapting to the ever increasing police force. Then, on August 12th, protesters organized a sit-in at the Hong Kong International Airport, cancelling and delaying hundreds of flights9. The violence escalated to a level not seen before, with frequent fights breaking out between protesters and police.
Finally, after months of protests and demonstrations, Carrie Lam officially withdrew the contentious bill on September 4th. In her message, Lam again condemned the violence seen in the past few weeks and that her top priority was to stop it10. However, demonstaters and critics still believe that this comes too late. The withdrawal has become only one of four other demands, of which are full voting rights in elections for chief executives and Legislative Council members, an investigation into the police on accounts of police brutality, amnesty for all who were arrested during protests and demonstrations, and a withdrawal of the use of “riots” to describe the protests on June 12th9. Since these withdrawals, protests have continued into today.
Ultimately, these protests are about an expansion and protection of civil liberties, in addition to continued autonomy separate from the Chinese government. Even as far back as 200311, Hongkongers have time and time again flooded the streets at every attempted China has made to extend further control over the region. And while the withdrawal of the bill took place over 2 weeks ago, continued protests show that the fight for democracy will not end anytime soon.
Sources:
The Murder Case That Lit the Fuse in Hong Kong. (2019, June 15). The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/15/world/asia/hong-kong-murder-taiwan-extradition.html
http://www.ejinsight.com/author. (2018, December 4). Taiwan issues arrest warrant for HK youth suspected of murder. Retrieved September 18, 2019, from EJ Insight website: http://www.ejinsight.com/20181204-taiwan-issues-arrest-warrant-for-hk-youth-suspected-of-murder/
What Is Hong Kong’s Extradition Bill? (2019, June 10). The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/10/world/asia/hong-kong-extradition-bill.html
SCMP. (2019, April 28). Retrieved September 18, 2019, from South China Morning Post website: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3007999/thousands-set-join-protest-march-against-proposed
Gunia, A. (2019, June 10). Hong Kong’s Leader Says Extradition Bill to Go Ahead Prompting Calls for Fresh Protests. Retrieved September 18, 2019, from Time website: http://time.com/5603754/hong-kong-carrie-lam-china-extradition-bill-more-protests/
Hong Kong protests: Live updates. (2019, June 12). Retrieved September 18, 2019, from Cnn.com website: http://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/hong-kong-protests-june-12-intl-hnk/index.html
Hong Kong’s Leader Publicly Apologizes for Extradition Bill. (2019, June 18). The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/18/world/asia/hong-kong-carrie-lam-apology.html
Hundreds of Hong Kong protesters storm government building over China extradition bill. (2019, July). Retrieved from Cnn.com website: http://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/hong-kong-july-1-protests-intl-hnk/index.html
Hong Kong: Timeline of extradition protests. (2019, September 4). BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49340717
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to withdraw extradition bill. (2019, September 4). BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49575381
CNN.com - Huge protest fills HK streets - Jul. 2, 2003. (2013). Retrieved September 18, 2019, from Cnn.com website: http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/07/01/hk.protest/
Palmer, A. W. (2018, April 3). The Case of Hong Kong’s Missing Booksellers. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/03/magazine/the-case-of-hong-kongs-missing-booksellers.html