2007 Macau labour protest
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Macau labour protest (2007年澳門勞動節遊行) was a large scale protest that occurred on Labour Day
May 1, 2007 in the Macau
Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. The event eventually turned violent.
The protest then turned into a riot. Public Security Police Force of Macau
fired warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd. A passing motorcyclist was struck in the neck by one of the bullets. The 50-year-old man Leung Ngai-keong (梁毅強) survived, but this affected the reputation of the police. Riot police later confirmed five shots were fired into the air during the protest. The police chief said 10 people were arrested and 21 police officers were injured. Protesters carried banners calling for better labour protection. Some demanded the resignation of Edmund Ho
, the Chief Executive of Macau
, who was appointed by Beijing
. The protest lasted about six hours.
staged a protest in Macau Friday calling on Ho to punish the police officer who opened fire. Leung, accompanied by four members of the April Fifth Action
group, marched from the Macau-Hong Kong Ferry Terminal
to the Macau government headquarters
at Avenida da Praia Grande. He and other Macau labor union representatives read out a statement asking the government to apologize for the incident and review its handling of protests.
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
May 1, 2007 in the Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. The event eventually turned violent.
Protest to riot
On May 1, 2007, about 2,400 demonstrators turned out to decry official corruption and rail against illegal immigrants working in Macau's construction industry. Though some sources point to the event as having 5,000 participants and eventually grew to 10,000. Witnesses said scuffles erupted when protesters hurled water bottles at police and tried to break through police line. Local television stations showed police beating back protesters with batons and dragging away a number of them.The protest then turned into a riot. Public Security Police Force of Macau
Public Security Police Force of Macau
The Public Security Police Force of Macau is the police department of Macau under the Macau Security Forces. Originally known at first as the Macau Police , the force went through several name changes before taking on its current name...
fired warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd. A passing motorcyclist was struck in the neck by one of the bullets. The 50-year-old man Leung Ngai-keong (梁毅強) survived, but this affected the reputation of the police. Riot police later confirmed five shots were fired into the air during the protest. The police chief said 10 people were arrested and 21 police officers were injured. Protesters carried banners calling for better labour protection. Some demanded the resignation of Edmund Ho
Edmund Ho
Edmund Ho Hau Wah, GCIH, GML, GCM was the Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. He is now the vice-chairman of the 11th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference....
, the Chief Executive of Macau
Chief Executive of Macau
The Chief Executive of Macau is the head of the government of Macau, a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China and a former Portuguese overseas province.Under the Basic Law of Macau, the CE's role is:...
, who was appointed by Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. The protest lasted about six hours.
Hong Kong response
HK politician Leung Kwok-hungLeung Kwok-hung
Leung Kwok-hung , also known as Long Hair , is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , a founding member of the League of Social Democrats and a democratic political activist.-Biography:Leung is a self-proclaimed Trotskyist and a member of April Fifth Action, a radical socialist...
staged a protest in Macau Friday calling on Ho to punish the police officer who opened fire. Leung, accompanied by four members of the April Fifth Action
April Fifth Action
April Fifth Action or AFAG is a group named after the first Tiananmen incident of 5 April 1976. It is a small socialist group in the Hong Kong...
group, marched from the Macau-Hong Kong Ferry Terminal
Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier, Macau
The Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal , also known as the Macau Ferry Terminal or Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier , is located in Porto Exterior, Macau Peninsula, in the former Portuguese colony of Macau, now a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, near the reservoir on...
to the Macau government headquarters
Macau Government Headquarters
Macau Government Headquarters is the official office of the Chief Executive of Macau and has been since 1999.-History:Built in 1849 by Tomás de Aquino, Baron do Cercal, the two story pink facade structure is one of the historic properties preserving Portuguese influence in Macau and located on...
at Avenida da Praia Grande. He and other Macau labor union representatives read out a statement asking the government to apologize for the incident and review its handling of protests.
See also
- 2007 Macau transfer of sovereignty anniversary protest2007 Macau transfer of sovereignty anniversary protestThe 2007 Macau transfer of sovereignty anniversary protest was an anti-government protest that took place on December 20, 2007 in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China...
- 2010 Macau labour protest2010 Macau labour protest2010 Macau labour protest was a protest that occurred on Labour Day May 1, 2010 at Patane, St. Anthony Parish Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. May 1, 2010 is also the opening day for the Shanghai 2010 expo in the People's Republic of China.-Protest:Hundreds...