Democracy protests in Hong Kong are escalating, and the state has responded with severe police repression and brutality.
The protests are against limitations on candidates for a 2017 election, by universal suffrage, for the next Hong Kong Chief Executive.
All candidates will be vetted by a nominating committee composed largely of Beijing loyalists, making it impossible for genuine radicals and democrats to stand.
Since 1997 when Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule by Britain, the “one country, two systems” framework has allowed Hong Kong to have relative freedom for the press, courts and trade union organising compared to mainland China.
The framework stipulates that Hong Kong would exist as a country alongside China for 50 years, until 2047, with its own structures of governance decided by the people of Hong Kong. Before hand over Lu Ping, China’s then top official for Hong Kong, said “How Hong Kong develops its democracy in the future is completely within the sphere of the autonomy of Hong Kong...The central government will not interfere.”
But in June of this year the Chinese ruling party released a paper stating that it has “complete jurisdiction” over Hong Kong.
Several large protests kicking back against attempts at repression by China have happened since the hand over. This year 180,000 marched in Hong Kong on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre of June 1989, and 500,000 took to the streets on 1 July for the annual democracy march. In 2003 hundreds of thousands marched against new security laws, and in 2012 students and teachers pushed back legislation that mandated the teaching of “patriotic education” about China.
The recent protests have mainly been organised under the banner of “Occupy Central with Peace and Love”, a social-media-linked Occupy movement. It is largely student dominated, and the Federation of Students has been organising a week long boycott of classes. Pro-Chinese organisations have set up hotlines for people to report students taking part in the boycott and in protests, but it has been flooded with prank calls.
Police have responded to the demonstrations with violence. 27 protestors have been hospitalised and over 90 arrested in the first few days. Police have been using batons, tear gas and shields as weapons against unarmed people. As Solidarity went to press the riot police were starting to withdraw from the central business district area where most protests were happening.
The Chinese state media has predictably not reported on the protests, reporting that a thousand protestors held a “celebration of China” in Tamar Park. The social network Instagram was banned after protestors shared images of the protests and of police violence.
On 29 September 200 workers at a plant that bottles for Coca Cola struck in support of the democracy protests. They made signs that read: “workers support students” and “democracy and livelihood are inseparable”.
The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) called a general strike on 29 September. The Professional Teachers’ Union and Hong Kong Union of Dockworkers, members of the HKCTU, have said they will join the strike. The teachers’ union and many university staff have supported the student strike.
The HKCTU has demanded the end to police violence, the release of those arrested in recent actions, the repeal of the “fake universal suffrage”, and the resignation of Leung Chun Ying — the current Chief Executive.
There is potential for workers in Hong Kong to organise around democratic demands alongside student activists. Such a fightback in Hong Kong could not fail to have an impact in mainland China, despite heavy censorship.
