Thousands in Hong Kong march against Occupy, in favor of mainland China

10 years ago | Posted in: Latest Politics News | 514 Views

HONG KONG — Tens of thousands gathered in sweltering heat in Hong Kong on Sunday to protest against a pro-democracy campaign that has threatened to shut down the city’s financial district, exposing a deepening rift over political reforms in the former British colony.

The rise in tit-for-tat street protests between pro-Beijing and pro-democracy groups underscores the challenges China faces in shaping its vision for the political future of Hong Kong.

Backed largely by Beijing-friendly groups, the Alliance for Peace and Democracy says it “desires peace and no violence” and has denounced the pro-democracy Occupy Central movement that has said it will lock down the center of the city if Beijing does not allow truly democratic elections for a leader in 2017.

“We want to show that the march doesn’t have to be violent and angry. It can be happy,” said Robert Chow, a former Hong Kong radio host and spokesman for the alliance.

The group says it has so far collected close to 1.5 million signatures, including that of Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying, saying the “illegal” Occupy campaign would tarnish Hong Kong’s reputation and hurt business.

It wasn’t possible to independently verify the number, which exceeded the almost 800,000 votes in Occupy Central’s unofficial poll on democracy in June.The anti-Occupy campaign kicked off early on Sunday with a run through the center of the city that attracted about 1,500 in temperatures as high as 30 degrees Celsius, organisers said…. see more

source: Globalpost

Tags: , ,

Share it.

Leave a Reply

Related Posts