Thousands of protesters yesterday evening blockaded the Hong Kong police headquarters, demanding the resignation of the territory’s pro-Beijing leader and the release of demonstrators arrested during Hong Kong’s worst political crisis in decades.
The latest protest comes after the government refused to meet the demands of demonstrators who have marched in their millions to oppose a bill that would allow extraditions to the mainland.
Opposition groups, after putting on the biggest political rallies in Hong Kong’s history, have called for the complete withdrawal of the extradition legislation and for Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) to step down, but the movement has also morphed into a wider expression of public anger at Lam and leaders in Beijing after years of sliding political freedoms.
Photo: AP
Throughout yesterday the predominantly young, leaderless protesters used spontaneity and movement to up the pressure on authorities.
Peaceful civil disobedience was used across key parts of the territory’s commercial district, with a main roadway seized and two government offices briefly blocked, but the focus for the day and into the evening was police headquarters, where thousands gathered, many chanting “release the righteous” and “shame on police thugs” — references to those detained during violence last week between demonstrators and the police.
Anger toward the police force has exploded since officers on Wednesday last week used rubber bullets and tear gas to clear crowds of protesters from the streets.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Opposition groups have demanded an investigation into allegations of police brutality and the release of those detained during the clashes, in addition to Lam’s ouster and a cancelation of the extradition bill.
Rights group Amnesty International yesterday said that it had verified multiple instances of police violence that breached international laws, while the Hong Kong Bar Association added its voice to calls for an investigation into police tactics.
Crowds outside police headquarters grew in the evening as workers joined the largely student-led protest, where demonstrators used metal barricades to fortify their positions, and used unfurled umbrellas and masking tape to obscure CCTV cameras.
Police held back from any response, and with the exception of a few thrown eggs, the demonstration remained peaceful.
Earlier in the day, smaller groups of protesters briefly blocked the entrances to the nearby immigration and revenue departments.
“We need to flow like water,” to be able to retreat and regroup and adapt, said protester Chris, referencing a famous quote from martial arts superstar and Hong Kong legend Bruce Lee (李小龍).
Another protester likened the crowds to artificial intelligence.
“They learn from themselves, nobody really teaches them, they just adapt to different situations,” said Bernard, 21.
The call for the demonstration was made by student unions, as well as informal organizers over social media apps such as Telegram.
“Blossom everywhere,” read a statement circulated on Thursday in a Telegram chat group.
Lam has so far defied calls to step down, and while she has apologized and suspended the bill indefinitely, it has failed to quell anger.
Pro-democracy demonstrators have vowed to hold another mass rally on July 1.
Opponents of the extradition bill fear it will ensnare Hong Kongers in China’s opaque and politicized justice system, and also give Beijing a tool to target critics based in the semi-autonomous territory.
Separately yesterday, former Philippine secretary of foreign affairs Albert del Rosario — a critic of China’s claims in the disputed South China Sea — was denied entry to Hong Kong and deported, his lawyer said, adding that he was not given a reason for the expulsion.
Hong Kong immigration authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary