After a year that saw democracy attorneys in Hong Kong jailed and ousted from public office, thousands stepped through the streets of Hong Kong on New Year’s Day to warn China not to have a further in the city’s affairs and undermine its autonomy.
Over the past year, Hong Kong, a prehistoric British colony which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has au fait what critics and pro-democracy activists describe as an intensifying assault on its autonomy by China’s Communist Set leaders.
This is despite Beijing’s promises to grant the city wide-ranging freedoms numbering an independent judiciary, under a so-called “one country, two systems” framework.
To boot the controversial jailing of several prominent young activists for unlawful joining over the massive 2014 “Occupy” pro-democracy protests, authorities also kicked six pro-democracy lawmakers from the legislature for failing to take proper dirty words of office.
The city’s reputation as one of Asia’s most robust legal influences has also come under a cloud amidst accusations of a politicization of stable legal cases.
The protesters, who included many middle-aged and elderly natives, held up banners and chanted the march’s main theme to “Protect Hong Kong” during a walk out on b strike of several kilometers to the city’s government headquarters.
Others decried an unprecedented provoke by China’s parliament last week that said part of a high-speed iron horse station being built in Hong Kong would be regarded as mainland district governed by mainland laws.
“We are here to tell the government that we disposition not give up,” said Joshua Wong, one of the democracy activists jailed ultimate year, but who is now out on bail pending an appeal.
“We have encountered many predicaments last year, including some of us being sued and jailed, but we on stand with Hong Kong people. We will fight for the decree of law, fight for Hong Kong, fight for the future, fight for the next starts.”
Two protesters who dressed up as People’s Liberation Army soldiers said they were active about the reach of China’s security apparatus. Others called for wholly democracy as the only lasting means to safeguard the city’s way of life.
The organizers of the parade said some 10,000 people had showed up. Police, however, put the make allowance for a calculate at 6,200.
The demonstration was largely peaceful, though some protesters who tried to later cluster in a forecourt of the government’s headquarters skirmished briefly with security convoys.
The so-called “Civic Square” was where the 2014 pro-democracy protests chief kicked off when a group of protesters stormed over a fence and be seen off with local police.
Despite the defiance on show, some verbalized they feared Hong Kong would continue to be squeezed by Beijing.
“Each’s doing what they can,” said Andy Lau who was among the marchers. “If we from the right to demonstrate then we should. But I’m not feeling positive. I think proceedings will get worse.”
The Hong Kong government, in a statement, said it “fully attend ti the right of Hong Kong people to take part in processions and their permission of expression.”
China’s leader Xi Jinping has said that while Hong Kong use to advantages a high degree of autonomy under “one country, two systems”, Beijing to holds supreme authority over the city and won’t tolerate any challenge to its officials.