Hong Kong Rally Against Occupy Central Attracts Thousands

Anti-Occupy Central demonstrators carry a Chinese national flag during a march in Hong Kong, on August 17, 2014. Photographer: Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images

By Jill Mao in Bloomberg News

Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong marched to protest threats by activist groups to paralyze the city’s financial district if China refuses to allow direct leadership elections, underlining the division in the city.

The Alliance for Peace and Democracy put yesterday’s turnout at 193,000 people, compared with the 88,000 estimate by the University of Hong Kong’s Public Opinion Programme.

The protest highlighted the divide in Hong Kong over how to pick its new leader in 2017, with the political unrest threatening to erode its status as a global financial center. The Chinese government has insisted on having candidates vetted by a nominating committee, which has met with opposition from lawmakers, students and the activist group Occupy Central with Love and Peace.

“Occupy Central will block the traffic and affect my job and business,” Chan Cheung On, 40, a driver for a take-out delivery company, said yesterday at the protest. “Everybody in Hong Kong wants universal suffrage, but some people want to achieve it only through the way they want.”

Occupy Central has threatened to organize a 10,000 strong sit-in at the financial district if election methods fail to meet what it deems as international standards. A rally on July 1 for democracy drew 154,000 to 172,000 people, according to estimates by the University of Hong Kong.

Author: konigludwig

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2 thoughts on “Hong Kong Rally Against Occupy Central Attracts Thousands”

I am worried about the students and protesters. I wish them the best in their peaceful endeavor for Democracy.

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An interesting situation. The Chinese government has apparently orchestrated “pro-China” demonstrations to counter pro-democracy Occupy protests. It’s a phony demonstration by Communist Party supporters. Total bullshit. To wit:

Participants in yesterday’s march were mobilized by dozens of trade groups. Kermit Keung, a property manager in his 50s who was part of an estate-management association in the rally, said he didn’t recognize some of the trade groups, which he said may lead to doubts about the protest’s legitimacy.

Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997, when its sovereignty was officially handed over to the People’s Republic of China. Under British rule, Hong Kong became one of the most powerful economic centers in the world. How does China expand its political control over Hong Kong without destroying its economic power?

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