Anti-government protesters in Hong Kong began circulating plans today to “stress test” the Bank of China in their bid to keep pressure on the city’s pro-Beijing leaders, after five people were arrested in the latest clashes with police.
The city has been mired in its worst crisis in recent history following a month of huge marches as well as separate violent confrontations with police involving a minority of hardcore protesters.
Sunday night saw fresh violence break out in the district of Mong Kok as police baton-charged small groups of masked, largely young protesters who were walking along roads and refused to disperse following another massive, peaceful rally earlier in the day.
Protesters leave short messages of encouragement at today's anti-extradition march. The black banner in the second photo reads "There was no riot, only tyranny." #antiELAB #NoChinaExtradition #HongKongProtests #HongKong pic.twitter.com/B5wUKXslOG
— Coconuts Hong Kong (@CoconutsHK) July 7, 2019
By Monday morning, online groups were already planning more protests on encrypted messenger apps and chat forums that have been successfully used by demonstrators to bring out huge crowds.
One proposal going viral was a call to collectively withdraw funds from the Bank of China this Saturday to “stress test” the organization’s liquidity.
Shares in the bank were down about 1 percent today in line with the broader market.
The state-owned Bank of China’s towering Hong Kong headquarters is one of the most recognizable buildings in the territory’s famous skyline and the institution is one of three banks licensed to issue its own notes.
The rallies were sparked by a now-suspended law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but have since morphed into a wider movement calling for democratic reforms and a halt to sliding freedoms in the semi-autonomous territory.
A tally kept by AFP shows at least 72 people have been arrested in connection to the weeks of protests, though it is not clear how many have been charged.
Sunday’s rally outside a controversial train station that runs to the mainland drew 230,000 people, organizers said, after calls for the gathering started on online forums and snowballed. Police, who often give much lower crowd estimates, said 56,000 people attended the protest at its peak.
In addition to the Bank of China stress test, online activists are calling for more rallies across Hong Kong in the coming weeks.
