Fifty-two days after the occupy protest site was cleared from its main areas, protesters gathered again on Hong Kong Island for a pro-democracy rally. The number ‘D7689′ was seen everywhere from banners to tattoos on people’s heads… – ‘D7′ representing a curse word in Chinese and ‘689’ representing Hong Kong chief executive CY Leung as 689 was the number of votes it took to bring Leung to power – it has since become his nickname.
The organisers of Sunday, 1 February, protest march put turnout for the march from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay to Central at 13,000. Academics put the turnout at 11,000 to 12,000, police said over 6,000 were in the park, with a peak turnout of near 9.000. It was hoped that around 50,000 people would participate. Some commentators say that the protest was too moderate for supporters still inspired by the 79-day Occupy street blockades.
Among the many and varied banners that protesters held the most often seen was a simple declaration that appealed for “genuine universal suffrage” as the crowds marched from Victoria Park to Central.
Benny Tai, one of the Occupy Central core proponents led the march with his two co-founders Dr Chan Kin-man and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming. Old boy veteran democrat Martin Lee Chu-ming was also at the front. The crowd carried and waved yellow umbrellas. Another Occupy banner read: “Reject fake democracy; we want real universal suffrage.”
“Uncle Wong”, a 91-year-old retired farmer who was always to be seen at the Admiralty Occupy protest site, was also at the rally. “I will keep coming to fight for democracy. As long as I can walk I will be here,” said Wong to the press. He became a renown figure of the Occupy movement.
Joshua Wong, who became a worldwide known student as he was only 17 at the time of the Umbrella movement, spoke to the media and his message was clear, asking the Hong Kong government to relay to the central government in Beijing in a way that reflected the real situation in Hong Kong and not just bending over to report what the leadership of China itself might like to hear.
Considered opinion has it that it’s not the students that Beijing is pointing fingers at but the businessmen and academics of an older generation still under the influence of the British and the lop-sided apparent democracy brought in during the final days of colonial rule. Of course students and young people with high aspirations should be on the street but what the others are doing there, given that they, of all of Hong Kong’s residents, still have it good, is anyone’s guess!
Photo by courtesy of Hongwrong, for more excellent photos of the protest see:
