IT’S 2020 AND WE REMEMBER TIANANMEN SQUARE WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT
I’m late with this, I know. But in case you hadn't heard, the Hong Kong police banned this year’s candlelight vigil to observe the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
We held one anyway.
BACKSTORY: Hong Kong has held a rally every June 4 since 1990 to remember the massacre and demand the Chinese govt admit the truth of what happened. This year was the first year the police denied permission to hold it - ostensibly because of COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, but anyone with any sense knows that’s not the only reason. We know that the restrictions have been used specifically to target any anti-govt protest gathering, even ones that don’t require police permission and do comply with social distancing rules.
And of course, with the national security law scheduled to be shoved down our throats by Beijing sometime soon, we know full well that the vigil will be banned anyway, so there’s no reason to assume this year’s ban just happened to coincide with the COVID restrictions.
As it happens, the vigil organizers expected this, and came up with a back-up plan - the core group would go to Victoria Park (the usual location for the vigil), have a small scaled down ceremony, and broadcast it live on YouTube. Meanwhile, different districts could hold their own small observances - otherwise everyone who wanted to participate could light candles wherever they were at 8pm and watch the broadcast.
Which is what the bride and I eventually did.
Anyway, the police did what we expected them to do - set up metal barriers all around Victoria Park first thing in the morning to close it off to the public. Around 7pm, the organizers showed up, pulled down the barriers and proceeded as scheduled.
Thousands showed up to join them.
Notice the social distancing.
Interestingly, the police - for once - didn't intervene. There was a pointless skirmish in Mong Kok afterwards, but a relatively minor by HKPF standards, especially considering the protesters essentially outright defied their ban.
Mind you, I'm not giving the police credit for restraint. My hypothesis is that they only held back because (1) the whole world was watching, and (2) Beijing and the HK govt are in the middle of a global propaganda campaign trying to convince the world that the upcoming NSL is nothing to be afraid of and HK will still be all about freedoms and the NSL. Cracking down on a vigil remembering another crackdown on freedom is the last thing they need right now - optics-wise, anyway.
That said, I expect the other shoe to drop eventually. At the very least I think they'll arrest the HK Alliance organizers for illegal assembly etc. Not right away, of course - remember that those 15 activists were arrested for protests that happened months ago. They may wait until after the NSL is passed to inflict maximum damage (pro-Beijing figures have suggested the NSL will be grandfathered to apply it to past activities before the law is enacted - I would be surprised if it isn’t, and we know exactly who the first targets are going to be in that scenario).
Either way, the police are going to make sure the organizers pay for this dearly. And anyone else they decide to punish for showing up.
Anyway, if this has to be the last Tiananmen Square vigil in HK, it was a great way to go out as a massive show of resistance to the coming crackdown.
BONUS TRACK: Oh by the way, the HK govt celebrated June 4 by passing a law that makes mocking, booing or otherwise disrespecting China’s national anthem a crime. Really. The punishment is up to three years in jail.
The govt says it doesn’t impinge on anyone’s freedom of expression because it’s still legal to do it in your own head - just not out loud.
Light a fire,
This is dF
This entry was originally posted at https://defrog.dreamwidth.org/1644081.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
We held one anyway.
BACKSTORY: Hong Kong has held a rally every June 4 since 1990 to remember the massacre and demand the Chinese govt admit the truth of what happened. This year was the first year the police denied permission to hold it - ostensibly because of COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, but anyone with any sense knows that’s not the only reason. We know that the restrictions have been used specifically to target any anti-govt protest gathering, even ones that don’t require police permission and do comply with social distancing rules.
And of course, with the national security law scheduled to be shoved down our throats by Beijing sometime soon, we know full well that the vigil will be banned anyway, so there’s no reason to assume this year’s ban just happened to coincide with the COVID restrictions.
As it happens, the vigil organizers expected this, and came up with a back-up plan - the core group would go to Victoria Park (the usual location for the vigil), have a small scaled down ceremony, and broadcast it live on YouTube. Meanwhile, different districts could hold their own small observances - otherwise everyone who wanted to participate could light candles wherever they were at 8pm and watch the broadcast.
Which is what the bride and I eventually did.
Anyway, the police did what we expected them to do - set up metal barriers all around Victoria Park first thing in the morning to close it off to the public. Around 7pm, the organizers showed up, pulled down the barriers and proceeded as scheduled.
Thousands showed up to join them.
Notice the social distancing.
Interestingly, the police - for once - didn't intervene. There was a pointless skirmish in Mong Kok afterwards, but a relatively minor by HKPF standards, especially considering the protesters essentially outright defied their ban.
Mind you, I'm not giving the police credit for restraint. My hypothesis is that they only held back because (1) the whole world was watching, and (2) Beijing and the HK govt are in the middle of a global propaganda campaign trying to convince the world that the upcoming NSL is nothing to be afraid of and HK will still be all about freedoms and the NSL. Cracking down on a vigil remembering another crackdown on freedom is the last thing they need right now - optics-wise, anyway.
That said, I expect the other shoe to drop eventually. At the very least I think they'll arrest the HK Alliance organizers for illegal assembly etc. Not right away, of course - remember that those 15 activists were arrested for protests that happened months ago. They may wait until after the NSL is passed to inflict maximum damage (pro-Beijing figures have suggested the NSL will be grandfathered to apply it to past activities before the law is enacted - I would be surprised if it isn’t, and we know exactly who the first targets are going to be in that scenario).
Either way, the police are going to make sure the organizers pay for this dearly. And anyone else they decide to punish for showing up.
Anyway, if this has to be the last Tiananmen Square vigil in HK, it was a great way to go out as a massive show of resistance to the coming crackdown.
BONUS TRACK: Oh by the way, the HK govt celebrated June 4 by passing a law that makes mocking, booing or otherwise disrespecting China’s national anthem a crime. Really. The punishment is up to three years in jail.
The govt says it doesn’t impinge on anyone’s freedom of expression because it’s still legal to do it in your own head - just not out loud.
Light a fire,
This is dF
This entry was originally posted at https://defrog.dreamwidth.org/1644081.html. Please comment there using OpenID.