As expected, this week sees the start of the clearance of Hong Kong Occupy sites. It began with Admiralty, where the main road has been blocked by protesters for fifty-five days. The bailiffs, with court injunctions and backed by a police force to ensure the matter went ahead without interruption, were assisted by the occupiers. While there was not one hundred percent agreement on leaving those areas of the occupied sites there was sufficient agreement to let the clearance start with just a degree of disgruntled murmuring.
Overnight, early in the morning, a more radical group charged the entrances of the government building with metal barricade parts and smashed doors in an effort to enter the building, likely thinking of what happened with the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan with their very successful, and largely peaceful, operation only months back. However, the local attempt failed.
Now attention is turning to Mong Kok, an area of occupation with a sadly violent history, not too violent but anyway, more than at the other Occupy sites.
The blog of Tom Grundy who has been covering the activities of the Occupy Central in English extensively must be giving about the best overview, especially pictorially on what’s going on. We give his blog address here (***) for Pressenza readers to continue acquainting themselves with this spirited action that has surprised even the most pessimistic of observers and brought new light and possibilities into play into what previously was considered a highly materialistic city and territory – but no more.
The most immediate past development was the blocking of the students from reaching Beijing in their attempt last week to meet some authority in Beijing to have more direct talks, bypassing the Hong Kong government. No chance.
Whether it was a good idea or not was debated but Beijing would not stand for a band of Hong Kong students wandering around attracting attention to what’s going in this little territory to start any buzz across Greater China, adding to the general discontent as workers seek better conditions and pay and various other factors interplay on the mainland, causing some governmental stress.
The Federation of Students deputation was stopped at the border. No pass, no problem. Easy!
This past Sunday at Admiralty the mood was strong and the open-house dialogue continued on the street with an air of some brightness yet the reasons for that were a mystery. Things are pretty much stalemated if concerned about where all this is going but the over-riding reality of having gone this far in itself was enough to invigorate the crowds with good humour.
http://www.pressenza.com/2014/11/hong-kong-umbrella-movement-protest-50-days/
Hong Kong has changed and the previous opposing sides are better acquainted with their positions and more solid in them but still, there is an understanding of the ‘other side’ too. While Mong Kok looks ominous indeed a lot of good has come out of the protests. Hong Kong has come home!
