This was published 4 years ago
Protester mourned as forces renew opposition to Hong Kong extradition laws
Hong Kong: Hong Kong residents returned to the streets on Sunday, carrying white flowers and angry at the death of a young protester on Saturday evening as he fell trying to hang an anti-extradition banner on a prominent Hong Kong building.
Janet, 30, carries white flowers at Sunday's Hong Kong march in recognition of the protester who earlier fell to his death. Credit: Kirsty Needham
The young man’s death came hours after Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced the suspension of her controversial extradition bill, but not its withdrawal, ignoring calls for her to step down.
Lam on Saturday had also backed the actions of police earlier in the week, deploying 150 rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse an illegal protest by tens of thousands of mostly young students who had surrounded the Legislative Council. She has labelled the disturbance a riot.
A sea of protesters from across the community - families, the elderly and the young - queued in the heat for their turn to march. People chanted for Carrie Lam to step down.
By 5:30pm, police had opened multiple roads running from east to west in Hong Kong’s centre to cope with the massive numbers of people marching. Even before an official crowd estimate had been given, it was clear the march was bigger than last week’s million-strong march. The size of the protest was a clear repudiation of Lam’s handling of the issue.
By 8.30pm, as the crowd continued to march, Lam issued a statement apologising to the Hong Kong people and vowing to humbly accept all criticism.
Kim Lok Kwan, 28, said her entire family was marching with her for the first time on Sunday, and carrying a large banner she had drawn saying "Help. Hong Kong RIP".
Kim, left, with her poster depicting the last words of a young protester who fell to his death in the Hong Kong protests. Credit: Kirsty Needham
"This is the last words he said on the banner. We would like to show respect to him and spread his word to everyone," she said, referring to the fallen protester.
She said she was angry at what Lam had said on Saturday.
"We didn’t make this chaos, we are protecting Hong Kong’s freedoms," she said.
Tai, 17, was marching with a large group of classmates from her school carrying white flowers and said she had heard the protester had committed suicide. News reports said the fall appeared to have been an accident as firefighters sought to assist him. They had placed a large inflatable cushion on the road below.
Classmate Wong, 16, said Lam had not answered the protesters' questions and hadn’t withdrawn the bill. "We are very angry and we came today to tell her that," he said.
School students at Hong Kong march say they are still angry at Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam. Credit: Kirsty Needham
At Pacific Place in Queensway, where the man fell, a pile of white flowers grew through Sunday afternoon.
"He died when he posted that banner and he fell. The white flower memorial is for him," said Janet, 30.
"What Carrie Lam said isn't enough."
Other banners carried at the march read "Don't shoot", and criticised police actions on Wednesday and rejected the "riot" tag.
Lowy Institute researcher and author of Generation HK, Ben Bland, said Lam's move to suspend the parliamentary debate on the extradition bill on Saturday came as a surprise. Many commentators had expected her to push the law through this week.
"Beijing will have had to approve Carrie Lam's climbdown," he said.
"I don't think anyone thought this was a likely outcome. It is different to 2014, when protesters were asking for real universal suffrage. Beijing couldn't accept that because it would dismantle the whole system. Beijing never openly demanded the extradition bill," Bland said.
Protesters carrying umbrellas gather on Sunday.Credit: AP
A million people marched in the streets a week ago to oppose the extradition bill. After Lam refused to slow down her timetable in response to the march, Hong Kong was rocked by violence on Wednesday as police forcefully quelled an illegal protest outside parliament.
The scenes made international headlines.
Hong Kong residents call for Chief Executive Carrie Lam to step down. Credit: Kirsty Needham
"Some people are saying the protesters won and it shows violence works, but I think you need to consider the international environment," said Bland.
"It's true the extradition bill was not pushed by Beijing in the first place, but it gave an opportunity to the US government to hammer Hong Kong, China and Beijing. This will take the pressure off China for an issue that is not material to the CCP."
Scaffolding on a shopping mall where a protester hanging a banner fell to his death.Credit: AP
Bland says China is already dealing with the Trump trade war and Huawei's ban by US allies and these issues are more significant for Beijing.
The size of the march on Sunday, which unlike Wednesday's protest has been authorised by police, will be a test of whether Lam's decision to press pause on the extradition bill and promise more consultation will be enough.
Firefighters remove a yellow banner with the words "Fight for Hong Kong" in Chinese and English on the Lion Rock mountain by pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.Credit: AP
The law would allow a criminal suspect in Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China for the first time, but triggered an outpouring of fear over Beijing's gradual encroachment on Hong Kong's legal autonomy and freedoms. Another law before the parliament - mandated by Beijing - will impose a jail sentence for booing the Chinese national anthem, to stem widespread behaviour at soccer matches.
Lam reportedly met with Chinese vice-premier Han Zheng across bridge in Shenzhen on Friday evening before announcing the bill's suspension, but she refused to answer questions at Saturday's press conference when asked to confirm it
On Saturday Lam said she had decided to suspend the bill to allow Hong Kong to restore peace and order. She said she didn't want to see any more police or civilians injured.
Civil Human Rights Front, the organiser of the successive Sunday marches, said people wanted the bill withdrawn and Lam to also withdraw her description of Wednesday’s illegal protest as a "riot". The riot description will see protesters arrested by police face potential jail sentences.
Foreign affairs minister Marise Payne said Australia welcomed Lam’s
move to suspend the extradition bill, adding Australia valued Hong
Kong’s independent judiciary and unique freedoms.
"Australia supports freedom of speech and peaceful protest," she said.