In response to plans circulating to paralyze transportation to Hong Kong International Airport, the High Court today ruled that the temporary injunction prohibiting demonstrations at the airport would be extended indefinitely, though it remains to be seen if the order will have any effect.
Last Tuesday, a protest at Hong Kong’s airport descended from civil disobedience into an unruly mess, with protesters blocking the departure gates, impeding distraught travelers, and ultimately tying up and assaulting two mainland men and preventing paramedics from reaching them. That protest and one the day before grounded hundreds of flights.
The next day, the Hong Kong Airport Authority said it had obtained the injunction order to prevent people from obstructing airport operations. Protesters are only allowed to demonstrate in designated areas, and only with the airport’s permission.
According to the SCMP, Justice Wilson Chan Ka-shun said he had “no hesitation in continuing the order” given the calls to target the Airport Express train and roads leading to Chek Lap Kok, where the airport is located.
“The smooth running of the airport is of crucial significance to Hong Kong, in particular the security and safety of its citizens and travelers, its commercial interests, as well as its international reputation.”
Multiple posts on LIHKG and telegram had called for overloading the roads and public transport to the airport in hopes of creating a large-scale traffic jam to block airport staff and passengers from reaching the busy international hub.
Activists said they will avoid going into the terminal, but said they could still “visit the airport in multiple ways,” including by bus, taxi, private car, and the Airport Express. The “movement” is set to start at 7am this Saturday, and if comments on LIHKG were any indication, protesters were unfazed by the renewal of the injunction.
“Your injunction order won’t scare us; nobody wants to go inside anyway,” said one user.
“We’ll just drive around with our hazard lights on,” said another.
