From emergency services to government departments, more than 230 civil servants are threatening industrial action if the government continues to ignore protester demands to completely withdraw a controversial extradition bill and launch an independent investigation into allegations of police brutality.
RTHK reports that an open letter being circulated online — addressed to Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the Executive Council, bureau and department heads, and lawmakers — is calling on the government to respond to the key demands of the city’s pro-democracy protesters, which include the complete withdrawal the now-suspended extradition bill, an investigation of the police’s use of force against protesters, the retraction of the characterization of a June 12 protest as a riot, and the release those who have been arrested in connection with the long-running protests.
The letter also calls for the resignations of Lam, Security Secretary John Lee, Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng, and Police Commissioner Stephen Lo.
https://www.facebook.com/RTHKVNEWS/posts/2688399397934766
The signatories of the letter come from 44 government departments, and include civilian staff and members of the police force. They say that they have stayed neutral so far, but have decided to “break their silence,” adding that “as civil servants, we should respond to the public’s demands reasonably.”
The letter also goes on to criticize the police’s slow response to the vicious attacks at Yuen Long MTR station on Sunday, which the letter says undermined public confidence in the police force and gave rise to suspicions that the authorities were colluding with the triads.
The letter threatens industrial action, but contains no details as to what that would entail or when it would take place.
The open letter comes amid a social media trend of public servants sharing photos of their staff ID cards — with their names, photos, and other personal details obscured — accompanied by messages of support for the city’s pro-democracy protesters, such as “Hong Kong, add oil!” and “I oppose the use of triad violence!”
Since Tue nights, individual professionals in civil service (so far 23 gvmt depts), public services (air traffic control and buses) and the embattled TVB have been posting #antiELAB demands along with their partly covered staff cards. Pics from FB. pic.twitter.com/P6A02GgHXe
— Xinqi Su 蘇昕琪 (@XinqiSu) July 24, 2019
Govt employees are uploading pics of their staff cards, covering their names with notes condemning police brutality and showing support for protesters. This voice from inside the govt is growing bigger. #HongKongProtests #AntiELAB #HongKongextraditionbill pic.twitter.com/A4qtU6gUkG
— Cherie Chan (@cheriechancy) July 24, 2019
#hongkong civil servants from different departments are backing the #antiELAB protesters and condemning the police by leaving supportive messages on their warrant/ staff cards #HongKongProtest pic.twitter.com/JifvAj352X
— Jeffie Lam (@jeffielam) July 24, 2019
On Wednesday, local news site Stand News published an open letter purporting to be from paramedics and fire services personnel expressing their disappointment with the city’s police force for “neglecting their duties” at Yuen Long, and urging them to “fulfill your responsibility.”
“What the police force did during the incident in Yuen Long on Sunday night had gone beyond tolerance,” the letter reads. “How the police handled the case can directly threatens the safety of Hong Kong citizens and other disciplined services.”
The letter explained that in the event of an emergency, the police force’s job is to maintain order at the scene so that the fire and ambulance services cam tend to the injured. But given that it took police more than half an hour to arrive at the scene of the Yuen Long attacks, the letter’s authors said the injured couldn’t be seen to, and people ended up calling the Fire Services Department for help after many reported they couldn’t get through to police after dialing 999.
