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After being joined by huge crowds from other parts of the country, China marks National day.
Hong Kongers marked China's National Day in unprecedented fashion Wednesday, as huge crowds of pro-democracy protesters thronged the streets of the Asian financial hub for what is shaping up as a critical day in the territory's "Umbrella Revolution."
Huge crowds took to the streets throughout the annual public holiday marking
the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Since 1997, when the sovereignty of Hong Kong was handed back to China,
the holiday has been marked by a massive fireworks display, which was
canceled this year due to the political unrest.
As the day wore on, more and more people joined a core of protesters who had endured heavy rain throughout the night.
As crowds built in
downtown Hong Kong, with fresh faces joining those who had braved heavy
storms to remain on the streets overnight, there appeared no indication
that the protesters' determination was waning.
According to a CNN team
on the ground, crowds at the main protest site in Hong Kong's financial
district yesterday afternoon appeared significantly larger than at the
same time Tuesday.
At a press conference
Wednesday afternoon (local time), the Hong Kong Federation of Students,
one of the main protest organizing groups, said that they were prepared
to up the campaign of civil disobedience if the chief executive did not
resign.
"If C.Y. Leung doesn't
step down by tonight or tomorrow night, we will announce (plans) to
escalate the operation" Lester Shum, one of the organization's
figureheads, said. "This means: to occupy different important government
buildings."
The student movement also ruled out direct discussions with the chief executive, C.Y. Leung.
"We are open to negotiate with the Hong Kong and Chinese government, but we will not talk to C.Y. Leung," Shum said.
Kelvin Cheung, a
21-year-old student who was helping sort recyclable trash near the main
protest site, said he thinks "more pressure must be put on the
government, otherwise they'll turn a blind eye to our actions."
But he was wary of the
idea of occupying government buildings, describing it as "very
controversial" and something that should only be used as a last resort.
He said he was concerned it would cause "conflicts" with the police and
government.
His classmate Cathy Wong, also 21, was even more cautious. "We have to keep it peaceful," she said. "We can't destroy the city."
Earlier, Hui Chun-tak,
the Chief Superintendent of Police Public Relations Branch, said at a
joint police and emergency services presser that although the protests
remained calm, police would continue to monitor them to ensure public
order and safety.
83 people -- 53 males
and 30 females -- have been injured in the ongoing protests, according
to a government press officer. The press official would not comment on
the nature or extent of the injuries.
"Police appeal again to
the protesters to continue to stay calm, and to leave the locations
orderly and peacefully as soon as possible, so that the inconvenience
caused to the general public could be minimized," he said. He also urged
protesters to give way to emergency vehicles.
To date 83 people -- 53
males and 30 females -- have been injured in the ongoing protests,
according to a government press officer. The official would not comment
on the nature or extent of the injuries.
First-timers joining demonstrations
Some protesters were
joining the protests for the first time. Nic Lam, a 35-year-old IT
worker, said his job and family had kept him away previously, but the
public holiday had allowed him to attend and express his "long-term
dissatisfaction" with the Hong Kong government.
Many families were in attendance at the main protest site, which had taken on a festive atmosphere, including band performances.
As China's flag was
flown alongside Hong Kong's in National Day observances at various
locations throughout the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, demonstrators expressed their grievances with mostly restrained protests.
At the official National
Day flag-raising ceremony in Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai,
pro-democracy leader Joshua Wong, 17, protested alongside other student
demonstrators.
Led by Wong, who was
arrested Friday during critical protests before being released two days
later, the group silently turned their backs and raised their arms in
crosses as the Chinese and Hong Kong flags were raised.
"We crossed our arms
because we want to express our dissatisfaction toward the government, to
reflect our mistrust towards the central Chinese government, and to
object to the National People's Congress decision on August 31," said
Wong, referring to Beijing's controversial ruling to allow only candidates approved by a nominating committee to run for office as Hong Kong's chief executive.
In the build-up to the
flag-raising, a statement from Wong's Scholarism group calling for calm
and restraint during the ceremony was widely circulated among protesters
on social media networks.
"Just wear black, stay
quiet with your chin down or carry an umbrella," read a message. "No
matter how much you dislike a country, disturbing its flag-raising
ceremony will only be disrespectful."
There was a notable
protest at an official reception afterwards, when local district
councilor Paul Zimmerman opened a yellow umbrella -- a symbol of the protest movement -- as Hong Kong chief executive C.Y. Leung, the main target of the protesters' ire, addressed the crowd.
"I think C.Y. and the
police commissioner owe Hong Kong an apology, nothing less... for what
they have done," Zimmerman told CNN affiliate i-Cable.
Leung: 'Accept arrangements'
The protests have been
triggered by Beijing's plans for Hong Kong's political future --
specifically, Beijing's recent decision to vet candidates for the chief
executive position in 2017.
Protesters are seeking
to change that policy, arguing that the right to vote in the Special
Administrative Region (SAR) is moot if the candidates are decided in
Beijing.
They fear that the
territory's independence is slipping away, and accuse Leung of putting
China's central government ahead of his own citizens.
In his speech at the
National Day reception, Leung told attendees that Hong Kongers should
accept the deal over their 2017 elections as is.
"It is understandable
that different people may have different ideas about a desirable reform
package. But it is definitely better to have universal suffrage than
not," he said.
Leung's mention of
universal suffrage refers to new arrangements which will allow voters to
cast an individual ballot, replacing the previous system whereby the
chief executive was elected by a 1,200 member committee stacked with
Beijing-friendly appointments.
The protesters' objection to the new system is that candidates will need to be approved by Beijing.
"It is definitely better
to have the (chief executive) elected by five million eligible voters
than by 1,200 people. And it is definitely better to cast your vote at
the polling station than to stay home and watch on television the 1,200
members of the Election Committee cast their votes," said Leung.
Even before the protests
began, the Chief Executive suffered from a lack of support in the SAR. A
survey conducted by the Hong Kong University Public Opinion Programme between 17 and 22 September found Leung to have an approval rate of just 21%.
Occupy: 'Beijing should listen'
That outcome is not seen
as an acceptable solution to the protesters, who say they were promised
the right to elect their own leaders under the terms of the handover
agreement from Britain to China, and are opposed to Beijing retaining
the ability to veto candidates.
Benny Tai, co-founder of
one of the major protest movements, Occupy Central, told CNN that
protesters were "not pushing or challenging the sovereign status of
China over Hong Kong."
"We want a right that we should enjoy, no more and no less," he said.
"We hope that leaders in Beijing should be able to listen and ... respond to the demands of Hong Kong people."
Authorities have been
restrained in their response since Sunday, when police hurled 87 tear
gas canisters into the crowd after they refused to heed calls to
disperse, spurring further protests.
But with protesters
vowing not to leave until they achieve their goals, observers are
nervously awaiting the authorities' next move.
Victor Gao, director of
China's National Association of International Studies and a one-time
translator to former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, told CNN from Beijing
that the protests were "a violation of the law and I think it will be
dealt with as such."
"I think if anyone in
Hong Kong believes that by such action they can force mainland China
central government here to back down, that's really indulging in
fantasy."
At the United Nations
building in New York on Tuesday, CNN's Richard Roth asked China's deputy
U.N. ambassador what he thought of the protests.
Wang Min replied, "What, where? Hong Kong is part of China," and then walked away.
Beijing is coming under
increasing international pressure over the protests, with Britain's
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg saying he will summon the Chinese
ambassador over concerns about the handling of the demonstrations.
Pro-Beijing groups
Despite the huge turnout on the streets, not everyone in Hong Kong is behind the protest movement.
Leung has backing from
pro-Beijing groups like the Silent Majority for Hong Kong, which have
had their own rallies. They argue that pro-democracy activists will
"endanger Hong Kong" and create chaos.
Andy Chan, a 57-year-old in Causeway Bay, told CNN he thought democracy should be "step by step."
"Hong Kong should be
stable, everything should be stable. I don't want the stock market or
the property market to be down to a horrible level."
Source: CNN
