Hundreds gathered outside the government headquarters in Admiralty on Friday to mark the fourth anniversary of the Umbrella Movement amid a backdrop of ever-increasing interference from Beijing.
The gathering marked when, four years ago to the day, tens of thousands of people blocked major roads in the city for 79 days to call for fully free leadership elections in the city, or “universal suffrage”, in a movement spearheaded by student leaders.
People gathered outside the flight of stairs which, during the 2014 protests, was referred to as Hong Kong’s “Lennon Wall.”
The spot was draped in a colourful banner resembling the thousands of colourful post-it notes bearing pro-democracy messages that were left during Occupy. “Uphold the umbrella spirit, we are Hongkongers,” the banner read.
They raised yellow umbrellas at 5:58pm and observed a three-minute silence to mark the time when police fired teargas at protesters. Audio recordings from four years ago of student leaders rallying protestors were played on speakers.
The fourth anniversary of the Umbrella Movement takes place amid fears of ever-increasing interference from the mainland into Hong Kong, including the opening of a controversial high-speed rail link between Hong Kong and China, and the decision by the Hong Kong government to ban a pro-independence political party.
Pro-independence activists carrying Hong Kong independence banners, and waving the colonial flags were also present at the rally.
The mood at yesterday’s rally was notably subdued, a fact noted by pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, who said he would continue to push for Hong Kong’s freedoms by raising awareness overseas.
Wong — who was released on bail for unlawful assembly charges related to the Umbrella Movement — appeared at the rally just hours after the High Court denied his request to ease his bail conditions so that he could attend talks and events overseas.
【Respond to the court’s decision not to review my bail conditions】
I’m deeply disappointed by the court’s because I’ll continue not to have access to my passport. This not only limits my official work but also an infringement of my freedom of movement. https://t.co/3sf25wwi8k pic.twitter.com/wQt77xkT0n— Joshua Wong 黃之鋒 😷 (@joshuawongcf) September 28, 2018
Speaking to the crowds at the rally, Wong said he had no regrets over starting the 79-day occupation as it spawned a generation of politically-aware Hongkongers.
He told the crowd it was important to pass that history lesson onto the younger generations of Hongkongers who didn’t experience the Umbrella Movement.
“Although we failed to move the regime, we succeeded in winning public hearts,” he said.
Pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo told Coconuts HK that despite recent events and the lack of progress on achieving democratic reforms for Hong Kong, it was still important to remember the events of September 28.
“We may not have achieved much as a result of the Umbrella Movement, but then we need to carry on the spirit to start with,” she said.
“Some people might say ‘what’s the point of fighting?’ We still have to do it, we can’t just take what Beijing wants us to do lying down.”
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