Sandy (L), Wendy (R). Photo: Adrian O’Sullivan, Coconuts Media
Mong Kok, usually the most turbulent area of occupied Hong Kong, is divided following the news of several protesters breaking into the Legislative Council offices in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
As some denounce the window-breaking at as a tactic by anti-Occupiers to warrant tougher police action against protesters, others saw it as a brave step forward by the movement and welcome break from the stalemate.
Louis, an office worker in North Point, was quick to draw comparisons to the West. “In my opinion they [the protesters] need to level up their action” he offers, noting, “In Europe, protests only last a few days. There they burn cars, destroy the shops – here it’s too peaceful, the police hit me and I just say ‘okay!’”
However, Louis also feels that the aggression was out of place in terms of what the movement has been about so far. “[The storming of LegCo] was a good action if they have no need for people’s support, but Hong Kong people like peace. Last night was too violent.”
Prostesters break a glass door at LegCo around 1am on Wednesday. (Facebook)
Louis’ mixed feelings are reflective of the atmosphere in general in Mong Kok, where differing opinions on how to further the movement are rife. As some claim the storming of LegCo was tied to radical leftist group Civic Passion, many are questioning the legitimacy of political involvement in a movement with “no organiser”.
Wendy, who has been protesting in Mong Kok for several weeks, feels that demonstrators are being cheated by politicians vying for favour. “There is no organiser: it’s better than being lead by the pan-democrats”, she says before declaring, “They are fake democrats – they’re trying to monopolise the revolution”.
Pan-Democratic parties have been quick to distance themselves from the recent actions in Admiralty, with Labour legislator Fernando Cheung appearing to physically prevent the vandalism in video footage taken at the scene.
Office workers Louis (L), Tim (R) (Adrian O’Sullivan, Coconuts Media)
“The key issue is that for the past 30 years, no-one has spoken for Hong Kong people”, argues Wendy, adding that the Pan-Democrats “make very good use of the Chinese issues for their votes, but those things do not benefit Hong Kong people…what we need is universal suffrage for local people, not democracy for China – China and Hong Kong are two different countries.”
Wendy’s friend Sandy went further, suggesting that political parties have failed in their responsibilities to local people. “We have been fighting for democracy with the Chinese Communist Party for 30 years, before the handover and after the handover, during June 4 and Tienanmen – all of those things. We can continue and fight against our own over-ruling power but they [the Hong Kong government] just want to continue [in their positions]”.
Having spent the majority of the movement without any apparent leader, many protesters continue with a firm belief in self-governance. Following the recent discussions of the issue at the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and the rumours of a UK delegation soon to visit Hong Kong, eyes are now very much on the British government.
Posters calling for the occupation of the British Consulate (Adrian O’Sullivan, Coconuts Media)
Some protesters are questioning whether the UK will do anything to ensure promises made in the Sino-British documents signed in 1997 are upheld. While the increasingly rare staunchly pro-Colonial Hongkonger does appear from time to time in the protests, most students are well aware of the joint blame for the SAR’s current conundrum.
“We just ask them to honour their promise. We are not asking for any benefits or advantage for ourselves”, insists Wendy before the proposed occupation of the British Consulate on Friday. “Hong Kong people really think that the British government, although colonisers, have built something good here. We can see all of that but we can see that these good things are being phased out, so we ask the government to protect it as is stated in the declaration. I think it’s a really rational move.”
Louis feels that trade is preventing the UK from wading in to the debate. “In the newspapers, all they report is ‘help hong kong’, though I don’t think it will help anything because it’s all about money: there is too much reliance on business between England and China.”
Sandy hopes for more negotiations with British involvement, claiming that the UK will act “more [gently] and listen to you” whilst “if you demand anything [from China] you are Anti-CCP”.
A proteser takes a self-denfense class (Adrian O’Sullivan, Coconuts Media)
With public opinion dwindling and the continued uncertainty of the movement’s future, the anarchic rule of the protests maintains a level of anxiety in Mong Kok. Despite the deployment of pepper spray, the arrests of six people and condemnation from Occupy Central, some on the ground are still lauding the LegCo break in as “good action”.
Whether it was a tactic of the far right or the far left, many demonstrators will now be hunkering down in self-defense, perparing for what could amount to a decidedly unclean clearing of the protests, their issues remaining unresolved.
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