Tens of Thousands of Anti-Extradition Protesters Take To The Streets of Hong Kong

April 29TH, 2019

Yesterday, thousands of the protesters took to the streets rallying against a proposal making it easier to send fugitives or suspects across jurisdictions like Mainland China. The loophole in the Hong Kong legal system was thrust into the spotlight this year when nineteen-year-old Chan Tong-kai murdered his girlfriend while on vacation in Taiwan and eluded legal recourse after returning to Hong Kong. The event expedited the proposal to fix the loophole that would bring justice for the young girl’s murder.

In 2001, Hong Kong thought of expanding its Fugitive Offenders Ordinance to apply to Mainland China. Even then, the proposal noted that Hong Kong has a right to refuse handovers if the “offence in question is political in nature; where the request for surrender appears to be made for the purpose of punishing the person on account of his race, religion, nationality or political opinion.” The point made in the proposal from 2001 addresses a crucial issue on political beliefs, revealing a sinister underbelly to opening restrictions between jurisdictions with looser limitations.

 This new proposal is scaring journalists, bloggers, and political activists who might have opinions conflicting with Chinese beliefs. The Hong Kong Journalists Association in a Facebook post said that “we oppose the proposed amendments to the law that will allow the transfer of ‘fugitives’ from Hong Kong to Mainland China on a case by case basis. It will not only threaten the safety of journalists but also have a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Hong Kong.” The statement was jointly signed by Reporters Without Borders, Hong Kong Free Press, and 11 other Hong Kong-based unions, associations, and news outlets. Even some Hong Konger’s have described these changes as 送中條例, translated to “deliver to China law”, a homonym for funerary rites.

As the proposal rushes through for a July decision, Lam Wing-Kee, the manager of Causeway Bay Books, fled to Taiwan. A few days later, tens of thousands of anti-extradition protesters took to the streets, and some called for Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, to step down after she pushed for the July deadline. The organizers, including Demosistō, said that 130,000 people took part, while the police said only 22,800 participated at the march’s peak. I heard about the protest less than a week before it began, and I arrived shortly before the first formation in Causeway Bay around 1 pm, less than a block from the former Causeway Bay Books.

Joshua Wong made a public appearance at the protest’s formation despite the knowledge that nine of the Occupy Central leaders a day before were sentenced to 16 months of prison time after being on bail for 2 weeks. The small street corner quickly filled with banners referencing the murder in Taiwan saying that the transfer of Chan Tong-kai should be a one-time thing. Hoisted by two people, a wide banner with the faces of mostly pro-Beijing political figures says that no one is safe from the extradition law. I witnessed multiple protesters dressed as Mainland Chinese police officers inviting fellow protesters to get inside a mobile red cage and pretend to be whipped as a demonstration. Around 4:30 pm, the protest turned into a fully formed march, with people brandishing yellow umbrellas harkening back to the 2014 Umbrella revolution. The protest quickly became the largest Hong Kong has seen since then.