Hong Kong July 1 marches
Encyclopedia
The Hong Kong 1 July march is an annual protest rally originally led by the Civil Human Rights Front
since the 1997 handover
on the HKSAR establishment day
. However, it was not until 2003 that the march drew large public attention by opposing the legislation of Basic Law Article 23
. The 2003 protest, with 500,000 marchers, was the largest protest ever seen in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover
. Prior to this, only the 21 May 1989 pro-democracy protest drew more people with 1.5 million marchers in Hong Kong sympathizing with the participants of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
. The introduction of Article 23 legislation was temporarily shelved because of the protest. Since then, the 1 July marches have been held every year as a channel to demand for democracy, universal suffrage
, rights of minorities, protection of freedom of speech
and a variety of other political concerns.
to 2002, marches were organised annually by The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China. By the end of 2002, the proposed anti-subversion legislation, as required by the Article 23
of the Basic Law, the constitutional document of the territory, sparked off heated debate and opposition. The public was worried civil rights and liberties would be adversely affected. The Civil Human Rights Front
was formed by grassroots civil organisations and pro-democracy politicians. A march was held on 15 December 2002 from Victoria Park
to the Central Government Offices
, with a turnout of 65,000.
The government attempted to pass Article 23 in Legislative Council, tabling the vote for 9 July 2003. The debate continued for months, with the Hong Kong Government refusing to any concessions. The bill eventually led to a series of 1 July marches.
. Fear of the loss of freedom of speech
along with other freedoms, as well as a general dissatisfaction against the Hong Kong Government prompted a mass protest of hundreds of thousands of people on 1 July 2003. The government attempted to pass Article 23 in Legislative Council, tabling the vote for 9 July 2003. The debate continued for months, with the Government refusing to make any concessions. Other issues include a number of blunders by the Tung Chee Hwa
administration adding to people's frustrations, including the "Lexusgate" scandal involving the Financial Secretary Antony Leung
and the government's incompetent handling of the SARS health crisis, all against the backdrop of the state of the economy.
, but all courts were booked for a pro-Beijing festival and fair. The organizers originally predicted only 20,000 demonstrators would participate. The actual number ranged from 350,000 (as quoted by the police) to 700,000 (as quoted by protesters) and even 1,000,000 (quoted from a pro-Falun Gong agency). The generally accepted figure is 500,000, a little less than one tenth the population at the time. Some Christian churches led by Rev. Chu Yiu Ming (朱耀明) of the Baptist Church and Roman Catholics led by Bishop Joseph Zen
organized a prayer gathering in Victoria Park before the march which was attended by some 40,000 people. The Civil Human Rights Front
was also organized. Members of Falun Gong
also took part in the protest, but have been asked by the organizers to march at the end of the rally. The march was originally scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. at the soccer field in Victoria Park, arriving at the government headquarter building. Their route stretched from Victoria Park football field through Causeway Bay and Central
to the Government's Central offices. Nonetheless, the large numbers meant that people were still starting the march as late as 10 pm.
resigned from the Executive Council
in order to vote against proposals for legislation as required under Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law. The Government then backed down on the proposal because it lacked the necessary votes to pass the legislation after losing the support of Tien's Liberal Party. Afterwards, Regina Ip
and Anthony Leung resigned, stating "personal reasons".
in 2007 and the Legislative Council
in 2008. There was much criticism as to the slogan for the 2004 protest by some Beijing bureaucrats and pro-Beijing political parties. The phrase "Return power to the people" was particularly inflammatory, because it implied that power was taken away from the people, according to pro-Beijing parties. Some pro-democracy political leaders such as Lau Chin-shek had considered changing the phrase, but many criticized this move as it was seen to be satisfying Beijing. The organizers kept the phrase.
White was the dress code for the day representing the desire for universal suffrage. On the other hand, pro-government groups lobbied the public to wear red (the color traditionally worn for celebratory occasion in Chinese culture) to take part in a counter-protest they were holding. Despite the dazzling heat, the number of turn out was still very high. Numerous sources debated on the size of the actual turnouts. The organizers, Civil Human Rights Front, estimated that 530,000 took part in the demonstration, surpassing the number from the previous year, while the police set the figure at 200,000. The figures were disputed by many, saying that the number could not have been over 200,000. Dr. P.S. Yip Senior Lecturer of the Department of Statistics & Actuarial Science of the University of Hong Kong, suggested that the maximum number of participants could only had been around 192,000. The general acceptance is that the crowd size is smaller than the 2003 crowd.
Following the 2004 protest, the next major event was Tung Chee-hwa's resignation in March 2005. Two protests were held in 2005 including the annual 1 July event and a separate December 2005 protest for democracy
. The theme for the march was "Oppose government collusion, striving for universal suffrage (反對官商勾結，爭取全面普選)". The July protest mostly build its momentum from the 2004 protest with emphasis that a high degree of autonomy is needed along with more democracy. The protest mostly stood up to the National People's Congress Standing Committee for trying to distort the Basic Law again. Further questions were raised regarding maximum working hours, minimum wage, increase of sexual violence, divide between the rich and poor.
The theme for the march in 2006 was "Creating Hopes for Universal Suffrage and Democracy With an Equal and Just Hong Kong (平等公義新香港，民主普選創希望)".
Not only did she openly support the implementation of universal suffrage
in Hong Kong
via the mass media
, former Chief Secretary Anson Chan
also called on Hong Kongers to express their desire by taking to the street. Some saw the move as Chan testing the water, paving way to the next Chief Executive election. Chan declined to comment until she formally announced that she has no interests in running for Chief Executive in September.
Like previous years, counter-protest parade was held in the morning while the protest organized by the Civil Human Rights Front
started at 15:00 the same afternoon, marching from Victoria Park
to Central Government Offices
. 58,000 people took part in the protest this year, according to the organizer and the demonstration ended at about 19:00 peacefully.
"Achieving Universal Suffrage, Improving Livelihood (爭取普選，改善民生)" was the theme for this year’s demonstration. The organizer, Civil Human Rights Front, submitted an application for Notification of Public Procession to the Hong Kong Police (HKP) about twenty days before the march. Prior to the start of the protest, Communist party
leader Hu Jintao
had already left Hong Kong via the Shenzhen bay port
.
The police insisted that the organizers wrapped up the demonstration before 18:30 in order to facilitate the fireworks display that would take place that night over Victoria Harbor. Displeased with by the limitations and restrictions set by the police, the organisers filed an appeal to the Appeal Board, which ruled on 26 June that the demonstration could last for four hours, from 14.30 to 18:30. Furthermore, the appeal board also required the police to open up all three westbound lanes to marchers. The elder and physically challenged marchers would slack behind at the rally, and restricted the number of wheelchair participants to ten.
Civil Human Rights Front estimated the turn out to be 68,000 while the Hong Kong Police put the figure with those who left from Victoria Park
between 14:30 to 16:30 at 20,000. The University of Hong Kong estimated between 29,000 to 35,000 people took place in the demonstration. Organisers suggested an estimate of 58,000 people.
Cardinal
Joseph Zen joined the march for the first time. Former Chief Secretary
, Anson Chan
has also taken part.
, who was under fire for the hiring of his 17 new highly-paid appointees
. Critics say they were handpicked allies brought in to boost his power base. Protest turnout for the year was expected to be less, with no pressing issues to be resolved.
Pan-democrats had expected at least 100,000 to take the streets for the march. Previously the 20th anniversary Tiananmen square incident march
at Hong Kong Victoria Park
had a large turnout to commemorate the event. Seven different events were expected to attract a total of 130,000 participants, as it was supposed to be the largest number of protests in a single day on Hong Kong island
. A "unity parade" was organized by the pro-Beijing camp in the morning at Hong Kong Stadium
. This celebrated the 12th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China since 1997. Xinhua News Agency
also set up a website to commemorate the event. The spectacle was matched with stadium performances as well as sports car displays on the streets. Other events include protests by the Alliance of Lehman Brothers victims
and one by the handicapped protesting at discrimination. Chief Executive Donald Tsang
led senior government officials at the flag-raising ceremony at Wan Chai
Golden Bauhinia Square
. The police band followed by a sea parade and fly-past by the disciplined services. The 2009 Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority forum
followed on July 14 to talk about broadcast freedom.
The pan-democrat camp was split. Several hundred democratic party members faced verbal abuse throughout the march to the HK government headquarters for selling out to Beijing. Protesters hurling chants of "Shame on you" and "You betrayed Hong Kong people." About 52,000 people took part in the protest. A 2,000-person anniversary parade was organised by opposition pro-government groups. Two weeks after the protests, many have questioned the state of the Democratic party
and whether protests are of any use, especially since HK is not a place where citizens make decisions for themselves. Party chairman Albert Ho
publicly responded "Even if you replaced Donald Tsang with another chief, you still have to deal with the People's Liberation Army
, which is another type of power.
tried to pass a bill to no longer allow by-elections, this is to block any more events similar to the Five Constituencies referendum
. There were demands for Donald Tsang to step down, and bring in universal suffrage to both the 2012 chief executive
and Legco election
.
There were complaints with land hogging and control by real estate companies. Unionists portrayed real estate tycoon Li Ka-shing as the devil. Other groups carried coffins to represent the small homes poor people live in. Hawkers complained about the high property rent that made it impossible to run their business.
There were complaints of not allowing more women from mainland China
to give birth in Hong Kong. There were also people against the introduction of Communist party education (國民教育) in primary and high schools in the special administrative region. Just a few days ago, 22 top HK schools rejected the plan, claiming they were against this type of "brain wash education". The post-90s generation were quite against this. During the protest about 228 protesters at Connaught Road
were arrested.
On July 13 People Power
group led a three day sit-in to protest against Stephen Lam, the blocking of by-elections and a number of issues. About 1000 people put on handcuffs and surrounded the Legco building 3 times to protest police actions from the July 1 march. Hundreds of people also threw paper airplanes at the Legco building with political messages.
Civil Human Rights Front
Civil Human Rights Front or CHRF is an organization that focuses on the issues of Hong Kong politics and livelihood, affiliates almost all the pan-democratic camps in Hong Kong. Forty-eight NGOs and political groups have been involved in the organization as of January 2006...
since the 1997 handover
Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as ‘the Return’ or ‘the Reunification’ by the Chinese and ‘the Handover’ by others, took place on 1 July 1997...
on the HKSAR establishment day
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day is celebrated every 1 July, in Hong Kong since 1997. The holiday commemorates the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special...
. However, it was not until 2003 that the march drew large public attention by opposing the legislation of Basic Law Article 23
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 is the basis of a security law proposed by the Government of Hong Kong. It states:On 24 September 2002 the government released its proposals for the anti-subversion law. It is the cause of considerable controversy and division in Hong Kong, which operates as a...
. The 2003 protest, with 500,000 marchers, was the largest protest ever seen in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover
Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as ‘the Return’ or ‘the Reunification’ by the Chinese and ‘the Handover’ by others, took place on 1 July 1997...
. Prior to this, only the 21 May 1989 pro-democracy protest drew more people with 1.5 million marchers in Hong Kong sympathizing with the participants of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
. The introduction of Article 23 legislation was temporarily shelved because of the protest. Since then, the 1 July marches have been held every year as a channel to demand for democracy, universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
, rights of minorities, protection of freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
and a variety of other political concerns.
1997 - 2002
After the 1997 handoverTransfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as ‘the Return’ or ‘the Reunification’ by the Chinese and ‘the Handover’ by others, took place on 1 July 1997...
to 2002, marches were organised annually by The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China. By the end of 2002, the proposed anti-subversion legislation, as required by the Article 23
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 is the basis of a security law proposed by the Government of Hong Kong. It states:On 24 September 2002 the government released its proposals for the anti-subversion law. It is the cause of considerable controversy and division in Hong Kong, which operates as a...
of the Basic Law, the constitutional document of the territory, sparked off heated debate and opposition. The public was worried civil rights and liberties would be adversely affected. The Civil Human Rights Front
Civil Human Rights Front
Civil Human Rights Front or CHRF is an organization that focuses on the issues of Hong Kong politics and livelihood, affiliates almost all the pan-democratic camps in Hong Kong. Forty-eight NGOs and political groups have been involved in the organization as of January 2006...
was formed by grassroots civil organisations and pro-democracy politicians. A march was held on 15 December 2002 from Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Hong Kong
Victoria Park is a public park in Hong Kong, named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. It is located in Causeway Bay, on the north of Hong Kong Island, between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau MTR stations...
to the Central Government Offices
Central Government Offices
The Central Government Offices houses the most major offices of the Hong Kong Government. Located in Central in Hong Kong, it occupies the lower level of Government Hill.- History :...
, with a turnout of 65,000.
The government attempted to pass Article 23 in Legislative Council, tabling the vote for 9 July 2003. The debate continued for months, with the Hong Kong Government refusing to any concessions. The bill eventually led to a series of 1 July marches.
2003 protest
Motivation
The headline theme for the 2003 march was to oppose the anti-subversion Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 is the basis of a security law proposed by the Government of Hong Kong. It states:On 24 September 2002 the government released its proposals for the anti-subversion law. It is the cause of considerable controversy and division in Hong Kong, which operates as a...
. Fear of the loss of freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
along with other freedoms, as well as a general dissatisfaction against the Hong Kong Government prompted a mass protest of hundreds of thousands of people on 1 July 2003. The government attempted to pass Article 23 in Legislative Council, tabling the vote for 9 July 2003. The debate continued for months, with the Government refusing to make any concessions. Other issues include a number of blunders by the Tung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Hwa, GBM was the first Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China....
administration adding to people's frustrations, including the "Lexusgate" scandal involving the Financial Secretary Antony Leung
Antony Leung
Antony Leung Kam-chung GBS JP was the former Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region...
and the government's incompetent handling of the SARS health crisis, all against the backdrop of the state of the economy.
Formation
The planners originally wanted all four football courts in Victoria ParkVictoria Park, Hong Kong
Victoria Park is a public park in Hong Kong, named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. It is located in Causeway Bay, on the north of Hong Kong Island, between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau MTR stations...
, but all courts were booked for a pro-Beijing festival and fair. The organizers originally predicted only 20,000 demonstrators would participate. The actual number ranged from 350,000 (as quoted by the police) to 700,000 (as quoted by protesters) and even 1,000,000 (quoted from a pro-Falun Gong agency). The generally accepted figure is 500,000, a little less than one tenth the population at the time. Some Christian churches led by Rev. Chu Yiu Ming (朱耀明) of the Baptist Church and Roman Catholics led by Bishop Joseph Zen
Joseph Cardinal Zen
Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B. is a Chinese Cardinal of the Catholic Church, who served as the sixth Bishop of Hong Kong. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2006, and is famous for his outspoken disposition on issues regarding human rights, political freedom, and religious liberty, often attracting...
organized a prayer gathering in Victoria Park before the march which was attended by some 40,000 people. The Civil Human Rights Front
Civil Human Rights Front
Civil Human Rights Front or CHRF is an organization that focuses on the issues of Hong Kong politics and livelihood, affiliates almost all the pan-democratic camps in Hong Kong. Forty-eight NGOs and political groups have been involved in the organization as of January 2006...
was also organized. Members of Falun Gong
Falun Gong
Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline first introduced in China in 1992 by its founder, Li Hongzhi, through public lectures. It combines the practice of meditation and slow-moving qigong exercises with the moral philosophy...
also took part in the protest, but have been asked by the organizers to march at the end of the rally. The march was originally scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. at the soccer field in Victoria Park, arriving at the government headquarter building. Their route stretched from Victoria Park football field through Causeway Bay and Central
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
to the Government's Central offices. Nonetheless, the large numbers meant that people were still starting the march as late as 10 pm.
Aftermath
After half-million people protested against the law, James TienJames Tien
James Tien Pei-chun GBS OBE JP is the former Chairman of the Liberal Party , a pro-business and pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong, and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong . He was also a member of the District Council of Hong Kong in the Central and Western district...
resigned from the Executive Council
Executive Council of Hong Kong
The Executive Council of Hong Kong is a core policy-making organ in the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong.. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong serves as its President.The Executive Council normally meets once a week...
in order to vote against proposals for legislation as required under Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law. The Government then backed down on the proposal because it lacked the necessary votes to pass the legislation after losing the support of Tien's Liberal Party. Afterwards, Regina Ip
Regina Ip
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, GBS JP is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , as well as the co-founder and current chairwoman of the New People's Party and Savantas Policy Institute....
and Anthony Leung resigned, stating "personal reasons".
2004 protest
The headline theme for the 1 July 2004 march was "Striving For Universal Suffrage in ’07 & ’08 for the Chief Executive and Legislature respectively (爭取07, 08普選)." As the National People's Congress Standing Committee attempted to modify the Basic Law on 6 April 2004 to deny direct elections for the Chief ExecutiveChief Executive of Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...
in 2007 and the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...
in 2008. There was much criticism as to the slogan for the 2004 protest by some Beijing bureaucrats and pro-Beijing political parties. The phrase "Return power to the people" was particularly inflammatory, because it implied that power was taken away from the people, according to pro-Beijing parties. Some pro-democracy political leaders such as Lau Chin-shek had considered changing the phrase, but many criticized this move as it was seen to be satisfying Beijing. The organizers kept the phrase.
White was the dress code for the day representing the desire for universal suffrage. On the other hand, pro-government groups lobbied the public to wear red (the color traditionally worn for celebratory occasion in Chinese culture) to take part in a counter-protest they were holding. Despite the dazzling heat, the number of turn out was still very high. Numerous sources debated on the size of the actual turnouts. The organizers, Civil Human Rights Front, estimated that 530,000 took part in the demonstration, surpassing the number from the previous year, while the police set the figure at 200,000. The figures were disputed by many, saying that the number could not have been over 200,000. Dr. P.S. Yip Senior Lecturer of the Department of Statistics & Actuarial Science of the University of Hong Kong, suggested that the maximum number of participants could only had been around 192,000. The general acceptance is that the crowd size is smaller than the 2003 crowd.
2005 protest(s)
December 2005 protest for democracy in Hong Kong
On 4 December 2005, tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protested for democracy and called on the Government to allow universal and equal suffrage. The protesters demanded the right to directly elect the Chief Executive and all the seats of the Legislative Council...
. The theme for the march was "Oppose government collusion, striving for universal suffrage (反對官商勾結，爭取全面普選)". The July protest mostly build its momentum from the 2004 protest with emphasis that a high degree of autonomy is needed along with more democracy. The protest mostly stood up to the National People's Congress Standing Committee for trying to distort the Basic Law again. Further questions were raised regarding maximum working hours, minimum wage, increase of sexual violence, divide between the rich and poor.
2006 protest
Not only did she openly support the implementation of universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
via the mass media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
, former Chief Secretary Anson Chan
Anson Chan
Anson Maria Elizabeth Chan Fang On-sang GBM GCMG CBE JP was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for Hong Kong Island, succeeding the late legislator Ma Lik....
also called on Hong Kongers to express their desire by taking to the street. Some saw the move as Chan testing the water, paving way to the next Chief Executive election. Chan declined to comment until she formally announced that she has no interests in running for Chief Executive in September.
Like previous years, counter-protest parade was held in the morning while the protest organized by the Civil Human Rights Front
Civil Human Rights Front
Civil Human Rights Front or CHRF is an organization that focuses on the issues of Hong Kong politics and livelihood, affiliates almost all the pan-democratic camps in Hong Kong. Forty-eight NGOs and political groups have been involved in the organization as of January 2006...
started at 15:00 the same afternoon, marching from Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Hong Kong
Victoria Park is a public park in Hong Kong, named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. It is located in Causeway Bay, on the north of Hong Kong Island, between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau MTR stations...
to Central Government Offices
Central Government Offices
The Central Government Offices houses the most major offices of the Hong Kong Government. Located in Central in Hong Kong, it occupies the lower level of Government Hill.- History :...
. 58,000 people took part in the protest this year, according to the organizer and the demonstration ended at about 19:00 peacefully.
2007 protest
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
leader Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
had already left Hong Kong via the Shenzhen bay port
Deep Bay, Hong Kong
Deep Bay is a bay off the northwest coast of Lau Fau Shan, Hong Kong. It is surrounded to the north by Shenzhen proper and west by the peninsula of Nantau, China. It is also known as Hau Hoi Wan in Hong Kong, and Shenzhen Bay in China.-Name:...
.
The police insisted that the organizers wrapped up the demonstration before 18:30 in order to facilitate the fireworks display that would take place that night over Victoria Harbor. Displeased with by the limitations and restrictions set by the police, the organisers filed an appeal to the Appeal Board, which ruled on 26 June that the demonstration could last for four hours, from 14.30 to 18:30. Furthermore, the appeal board also required the police to open up all three westbound lanes to marchers. The elder and physically challenged marchers would slack behind at the rally, and restricted the number of wheelchair participants to ten.
Civil Human Rights Front estimated the turn out to be 68,000 while the Hong Kong Police put the figure with those who left from Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Hong Kong
Victoria Park is a public park in Hong Kong, named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. It is located in Causeway Bay, on the north of Hong Kong Island, between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau MTR stations...
between 14:30 to 16:30 at 20,000. The University of Hong Kong estimated between 29,000 to 35,000 people took place in the demonstration. Organisers suggested an estimate of 58,000 people.
Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Joseph Zen joined the march for the first time. Former Chief Secretary
Chief Secretary for Administration
The Chief Secretary for Administration , commonly known as Chief Secretary and abbreviated as CS, is the second highest position of the Hong Kong Government...
, Anson Chan
Anson Chan
Anson Maria Elizabeth Chan Fang On-sang GBM GCMG CBE JP was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for Hong Kong Island, succeeding the late legislator Ma Lik....
has also taken part.
2008 protest
Organizers said more than 40,000 people attended. Police put the starting figure at 13,000 when the march began. One of the issues include Chief executive Donald TsangDonald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....
, who was under fire for the hiring of his 17 new highly-paid appointees
Political Appointments System
The Political Appointments System is a scheme introduced in 2008 by the Hong Kong Government to reinforce its ministerial team by superseding the Principal Officials Accountability System and inserting two layers of politically-appointed officials below the secretaries, who are political appointees...
. Critics say they were handpicked allies brought in to boost his power base. Protest turnout for the year was expected to be less, with no pressing issues to be resolved.
2009 protest
20th anniversary Tiananmen square incident march
The 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 was a series of rallies that took place in late May to early June 2009 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 4 June Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, during which the Chinese government sent troops to suppress pro-democracy movement...
at Hong Kong Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Hong Kong
Victoria Park is a public park in Hong Kong, named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. It is located in Causeway Bay, on the north of Hong Kong Island, between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau MTR stations...
had a large turnout to commemorate the event. Seven different events were expected to attract a total of 130,000 participants, as it was supposed to be the largest number of protests in a single day on Hong Kong island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
. A "unity parade" was organized by the pro-Beijing camp in the morning at Hong Kong Stadium
Hong Kong Stadium
Hong Kong Stadium is the main sports venue of Hong Kong. Redeveloped from the old Government Stadium it reincarnated as Hong Kong Stadium in 1994...
. This celebrated the 12th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China since 1997. Xinhua News Agency
Xinhua News Agency
The Xinhua News Agency is the official press agency of the government of the People's Republic of China and the biggest center for collecting information and press conferences in the PRC. It is the largest news agency in the PRC, ahead of the China News Service...
also set up a website to commemorate the event. The spectacle was matched with stadium performances as well as sports car displays on the streets. Other events include protests by the Alliance of Lehman Brothers victims
Bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 15, 2008. The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers remains the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S...
and one by the handicapped protesting at discrimination. Chief Executive Donald Tsang
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....
led senior government officials at the flag-raising ceremony at Wan Chai
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...
Golden Bauhinia Square
Golden Bauhinia Square
The Golden Bauhinia Square is an open area in Wan Chai North, Hong Kong. The square was named after the giant statue of a golden Bauhinia blakeana at the centre of the area, situated outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the ceremonies for the handover of Hong Kong and the...
. The police band followed by a sea parade and fly-past by the disciplined services. The 2009 Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority forum
2009 Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority forum
2009 Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority forum was a public forum held on the night of July 14, 2009 by the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority. The forum gave the citizens a chance to provide feedback and comments about the two free Hong Kong TV station TVB and ATV. A large number of questions and...
followed on July 14 to talk about broadcast freedom.
2010 protest
Previously the pan-democracy camp was united in their goal to fight for universal suffrage for the city of 7 million people in 2012 and nothing less. After the consultation document for selecting the Chief exec and Legco politicians was passed in late June, there was no more universal suffrage. Instead, Beijing signed an alternative method to choose the CE and Legco politicians. A controversial graffiti incident even took place after the consultations.The pan-democrat camp was split. Several hundred democratic party members faced verbal abuse throughout the march to the HK government headquarters for selling out to Beijing. Protesters hurling chants of "Shame on you" and "You betrayed Hong Kong people." About 52,000 people took part in the protest. A 2,000-person anniversary parade was organised by opposition pro-government groups. Two weeks after the protests, many have questioned the state of the Democratic party
Democratic Party (Hong Kong)
The Democratic Party is a pro-democracy political party in Hong Kong. It was established on 2 October 1994. The party is currently the second largest party in the Legislative Council, headed by Chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan and, following the November 2008 merger with the Frontier, had around 745...
and whether protests are of any use, especially since HK is not a place where citizens make decisions for themselves. Party chairman Albert Ho
Albert Ho
Albert Ho Chun-yan . He is currently secretary general of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China and chairman of the Democratic Party. He is a solicitor and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong....
publicly responded "Even if you replaced Donald Tsang with another chief, you still have to deal with the People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
, which is another type of power.
2011 protest
The turnout for the 2011 protest is the highest since 2004. Organizers of the protest claimed a turnout of 218,000 people. There were quite a number of issues. Just two days before the protest, the government led by Stephen LamStephen Lam
Stephen Lam Sui-lung GBS JP is the Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong and formerly Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs....
tried to pass a bill to no longer allow by-elections, this is to block any more events similar to the Five Constituencies referendum
Hong Kong by-election, 2010
The 2010 Hong Kong by-election is an election held on 16 May 2010 in Hong Kong, triggered by the resignation of five pan-democrat Legislative Councillors in January of the same year....
. There were demands for Donald Tsang to step down, and bring in universal suffrage to both the 2012 chief executive
Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2012
An election will be held on March 25, 2012 to select the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. The incumbent Chief Executive Donald Tsang is barred from seeking a third term pursuant to the Basic Law of Hong Kong. The fourth Chief Executive term will begin on 1 July 2012...
and Legco election
Hong Kong legislative election, 2012
The 2012 Hong Kong legislative election will be held in 2012 for the 5th Legislative Council since the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. There will be 70 seats in the fifth Council, ten more than previously, with 35 Members elected by geographical constituencies through...
.
There were complaints with land hogging and control by real estate companies. Unionists portrayed real estate tycoon Li Ka-shing as the devil. Other groups carried coffins to represent the small homes poor people live in. Hawkers complained about the high property rent that made it impossible to run their business.
There were complaints of not allowing more women from mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
to give birth in Hong Kong. There were also people against the introduction of Communist party education (國民教育) in primary and high schools in the special administrative region. Just a few days ago, 22 top HK schools rejected the plan, claiming they were against this type of "brain wash education". The post-90s generation were quite against this. During the protest about 228 protesters at Connaught Road
Connaught Road
Connaught Road refers to one major road and its western extension on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong KongConnaught Road Central is a main thoroughfare that runs the length of Central, parallel to the north shore...
were arrested.
On July 13 People Power
People Power (Hong Kong)
People Power , is a political coalition in Hong Kong, taking a radical democratic position. It was established in early 2011 after Raymond Wong and Albert Chan quit the League of Social Democrats, citing disagreement with leader Andrew To and his faction...
group led a three day sit-in to protest against Stephen Lam, the blocking of by-elections and a number of issues. About 1000 people put on handcuffs and surrounded the Legco building 3 times to protest police actions from the July 1 march. Hundreds of people also threw paper airplanes at the Legco building with political messages.
Counter protests
On 1 July, pro-Beijing organisations usually organise one day trips at a low price to draw people away from the marches. They will also hold marches supporting the government.See also
- Politics of Hong KongPolitics of Hong KongPolitics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by its constitutional document, the Basic Law of Hong Kong, its own legislature, the Chief Executive as the head of government, and of a multi-party system...
- List of politics-related topics
- 2010 Hong Kong new year march2010 Hong Kong new year marchThe 2010 Hong Kong New Year March was a protest that took place on the first day of the decade on 1 January 2010 in Hong Kong. Thousands took to the streets demanding universal suffrage as part of the on-going democratic development. They also demanded the release of Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo...
- 20th anniversary Tiananmen square incident march20th anniversary Tiananmen square incident marchThe 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 was a series of rallies that took place in late May to early June 2009 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 4 June Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, during which the Chinese government sent troops to suppress pro-democracy movement...