‘We belong to Hong Kong’: Thousands gather at solidarity events in 64 cities worldwide
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 02 October, 2014, 11:37am
UPDATED : Thursday, 02 October, 2014, 6:41pm
James Griffiths [email protected]
Demonstrators hold umbrellas in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy marches, at Times Square in New York. Photo: AFP
Thousands of people from around the world have voiced support for ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong at solidarity events in more than 64 cities.
In London, organisers said that over 3,000 people joined a rally outside the Chinese Embassy. Demonstrations also took place in Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
A man holds a sign at a Global Solidarity with Hong Kong rally in the centre of Manchester. Photo: AFP
“It was totally unexpected,” vice-chairman of the League of Social Democrats Avery Ng Man-yuen, currently in the British capital, told the Post. “When we first hosted a rally at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London last Saturday to protest against Beijing’s framework on reform, only 300 people attended.”
“Many participants feel like this is the only thing they could do for the students [thousands of] miles away,” he said.
Protesters gather outside the Chinese embassy in London. Photo: Larry Au
Many demonstrators in London carried umbrellas; the unofficial symbol of the Hong Kong protests after they were used to ward off police pepper spray.
During speeches, the London crowd echoed demands for the resignation of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. Demonstrators in Hong Kong have warned that if Leung does not resign before a Thursday deadline, protests will escalate.
Taiwanese rally to support Hong Kong protesters. Photo: EPA
Dozens of other solidarity events were held around the world. According to the group United for Democracy: Global Solidarity with Hong Kong, which has been helping to coordinate and arrange events, rallies were held in at least 64 cities, including Taipei, Canberra, Singapore, Paris, London, Los Angeles, Washington, and Montreal.
People hold up customized umbrellas during a rally in Times Square in New York. Photo: AP
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in New York’s Time Square to voice their support, including many veteran Chinese activists from the 1989 Democracy Movement, who led a chant in Putonghua: “Hong Kong, Democracy, Democracy, Hong Kong”.
“[They] see the future of the mainland as being intertwined with that of Hong Kong,” Mi Ling Tsui, communications director for Human Rights China, which took part in the rally, told the Post. She said protesters were motivated to take part in the event, and a previous rally over the weekend, by “their pride as citizens of a free society and their deep sense of connection to those struggling to preserve that freedom”.
Tsui said “A young woman said to me that it was important for her and her friends to show their support because even though they are no longer there, ‘we still belong to Hong Kong’.”
A sign at a Hong Kong solidarity rally in Montreal, Canada. Photo: Kelvin Chan
In Montreal, more than 200 people turned out to voice their support for Hong Kong demonstrators.
"We're very impressed with the turnout especially with the diversity of the crowd," organiser Michael Law said. "There was a large group of older Vietnamese people, a lot of Hong Kong students and just other allies of democracy and human rights."
"We prove that solidarity and democracy cross national boundaries and that the legitimacy is on the students' side," he added.
A demonstrator holds a sign in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy marches, at Times Square in New York. Photo: Reuters
More than 37,000 people signed-up to wear yellow yesterday in solidarity with the Hong Kong protests and in North America events were held at around 40 colleges and universities.
“I wanted to raise awareness about [the Hong Kong democracy debate],” Heather Pickerell, one of the organisers of ‘Wear Yellow for Hong Kong on October 1’ told the Post.
Students from University of Western Ontario hold signs in support of democracy in Hong Kong. Photo: Facebook
Rallies and speeches are not the only actions being taken in solidarity with Occupy Central. Two Hongkongers studying in the UK announced that they have gone on hunger strike to fight for democracy in the city.
“Many of us yearned to be in Hong Kong but we couldn’t, still we try our best to play our part in the Umbrella Movement: we organise sit-ins around the globe as a sign of moral support; we utilise social media to raise awareness. Yet, a sense of helplessness lingers,” Jobie Yip and Daniel Chan wrote in a statement posted online.
“This is the reason why we … have decided to go on a 24-hour hunger strike. Hong Kong, we stand as one amid the pain.”
Hong Kong Overseas Alliance
Political Organization · 3,140 Likes
LONDON - Daniel and Jobie have been hunger-striking for four hours. They demand real democracy in Hong Kong and uphold civil nomination.
倫敦 - 力行和靄瑤已經絕食4小時。他們爭取香港真普選，堅持公民提名。
Additional reporting by Danny Lee and Jeffie Lam
