However, protests were particularly intense on January 26th at the Fai Ming Estate building complex. Tam Tak-chi, the vice-chairman of People Power, was arrested at midnight of the Lunar New Year at his home for “inciting others to participate in an unlawful assembly” during a protest action in Tai Po on January 17th. On January 24th, four individuals were arrested in Kowloon, with the claim that they possessed explosives they intended to use over the Lunar New Year and that they were connected to an explosion last month in Tuen Mun. Police also carried out a number of arrests ahead of the Lunar New Year. Protests in Mong Kok were, in part, reacting against a police ban on a planned rally that would have commemorated the fourth anniversary of the 2016 Fishball Revolution, an incident that took place over the 2016 Lunar New Year that saw localist demonstrators coming into conflict with police in Mong Kok over restrictions on the hawkers that traditionally sell food over the Lunar New Year holiday. Police fired tear gas for the first time in Hong Kong in the Year of the Rat on January 25th at around 10:30 PM. Subsequently, clashes between protestors and police took place in Mong Kok on both January 25th and January 26th. Namely, because of their arrests over the Lunar New Year holidays, the arrested would not be able to eat new year’s dinner with their families. This was aimed at showing solidarity with detained, usually younger protestors, symbolically showing them that they had “family” among other demonstrators. On Lunar New Year’s Eve, thousands of protestors demonstrated outside the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, where a number of detained protestors are being held. Protests over the Lunar New Year holiday continue the pattern of holidays seeing an uptick in demonstrations in Hong Kong, as also took place during Christmas and Halloween. Likewise, a protest by League of Social Democrats and Labour Party against police violence is planned for today. Protest actions have taken place on all three days of the Lunar New Year holiday to date, including on Lunar New Year’s Eve on January 24th and on the first two days of the new year, January 25th and 26th. Photo credit: League of Social Democrats/Facebook However, among the protest actions that have taken place over the Lunar New Year are protest actions targeting the Hong Kong government’s handling of the health crisis, as mixed in with protest actions more directly related to the demands of the Anti-ELAB movement. Reporting on the protests has been sparse because of greater focus in news media on the outbreak of the coronavirus and its effects on Hong Kong and elsewhere. THOUGH GENERALLY underreported on in international media, protests took place in Hong Kong over the Lunar New Year, with police firing tear gas on demonstrators despite the holidays.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |