The 2019 Hong Kong
anti-extradition bill protests are a series of demonstrations in Hong Kong and other cities around the world, demanding
the withdrawal of the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in
Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 proposed by the Government
of Hong Kong. It is feared that the bill would cause the city to open up to mainland
Chinese law and that people from Hong Kong could
become subject to a different legal system.
Various protests have been launched inHong Kong by the general public
and legal communities. Among these, the 9 June protest organised by the Civil
Human Rights Front (CHRF), which the organisation estimates was attended by
1.03 million people, has gained wide mass media coverage. Protests in
other places were also staged by overseas Hongkongers and locals.
June 9, 2019 Protest
Despite the widespread demonstrations, the government insists on the bill's passage, stating that the bill is urgent and that the legal "loophole" should be fixed. The second reading was originally scheduled on 12 June but was not held due to protests, and a scheduled meeting on the next day, 13 June, was also postponed.
The protests were mostly censored from Mainland Chinese social media, such as Sina Weibo. Keyword searches of "Hong Kong ," "HK" and
"extradition bill" led to other official news and entertainment news.
Accounts that posted content regarding the protest were also blocked.
Bloomberg stated that protesters had been using Telegram to communicate in order to conceal their own identity and prevent tracking by the Chinese government. The app's servers experienced a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS attack) on 12 June. The app's founder Pavel Durov identified the origin of the attack asChina , and stated that it "coincided in
time with protests in Hong Kong .”
UNITED KINGDOM : Foreign
Secretary Jeremy Hunt urged the Hong Kong government to listen to the concerns
of the protesters, stating that "it is essential that the authorities
engage in meaningful dialogue and take steps to preserve Hong
Kong 's rights and freedoms and high degree of autonomy, which
underpin its international reputation". He added that upholding the one
country, two systems principle, which is legally bound in the Sino-British
Joint Declaration, is vital to Hong Kong 's
future success. The British Consulate in Hong Kong
has also opened its doors for protesters needing sanctuary.
JAPAN : Tarō
Kōno, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, said, "I strongly hope that
things will be settled early and Hong Kong 's
freedom and democracy will be maintained.”
SOUTH KOREA : The Bareunmirae Party, a minority party, stated
that the party supports Hong Kong protesters, adding that the "Bareunmirae
Party support the democratization movement in Hong Kong .
We hear Hong Kong 's cry for freedom and
democracy with a strong echo.”
Various protests have been launched in
Despite the widespread demonstrations, the government insists on the bill's passage, stating that the bill is urgent and that the legal "loophole" should be fixed. The second reading was originally scheduled on 12 June but was not held due to protests, and a scheduled meeting on the next day, 13 June, was also postponed.
Background of the Protest
The Fugitive
Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation
(Amendment) Bill 2019 is a proposed bill regarding extradition to amend the
Fugitive Offenders Ordinance (Cap. 503) in relation to special surrender
arrangements and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance (Cap.
525) so that arrangements for mutual legal assistance can be made between Hong
Kong and any place outside Hong Kong. The bill was proposed by the Hong Kong
government in February 2019 to request the surrender of a Hong Kong suspect in
a homicide case in Taiwan Taiwan , but also
for Mainland China and Macau , which are not covered under the existing laws.
- First Protest: March 31
- Second Protest: April 28
- Lawyers’ Silent March June 6
- Third Protest: June 9
- Fourth Protest: June 12
- Mothers’ Sit-In Protest June 14
The protests were mostly censored from Mainland Chinese social media, such as Sina Weibo. Keyword searches of "
Bloomberg stated that protesters had been using Telegram to communicate in order to conceal their own identity and prevent tracking by the Chinese government. The app's servers experienced a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS attack) on 12 June. The app's founder Pavel Durov identified the origin of the attack as
Reactions to the Protests
HONG KONG: Carrie Lam
declined to answer questions at a public appearance in Ocean Park Hong Kong out", and that she loved and had made
sacrifices for the city, but insisted that the bill would not be withdrawn.
Democratic Party LegCo member James To responded that many people in society,
including himself, felt that Lam loved power and approval more than Hong Kong .
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA :
After the first protest, the Beijing
government blamed "outside interference" and voiced its support to
the Hong Kong administration. The Foreign
Ministry accused opponents of the proposed legislation of "collusion with
the West". State-run media such as China Daily cited more than
700,000 people backing the legislation through an online petition, "countering
a protest by about 240,000 people" while the Global Times dismissed
the mass demonstration on 9 June, stating that "some international forces
have significantly strengthened their interaction with the Hong Kong opposition
in recent months.”
REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN):
President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen expressed her solidarity with the
people of Hong Kong, remarking that Taiwan's democracy was hard-earned and had
to be guarded and renewed, and pledged that one country, two systems would
never be an option as long as she was President. She also posted on Instagram
to provide support for "Hongkongers on the front line", saying that
the Taiwanese people would support all those who fight for free speech and
democracy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan stated that they stood
shoulder to shoulder with the hundreds of thousands in Hong Kong fighting
against the extradition bill and for rule of law, adding, "Taiwan
UNITED STATES: A U.S.
State Department official voiced support for the 9 June protesters, saying that
"the peaceful demonstration of hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers
yesterday clearly shows the public's opposition to the proposed
amendments." They also called on the Hong Kong
government to ensure that "any amendments to the Fugitive Offenders
Ordinance should be pursued with great care." United States House of
Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi strongly condemned the bill and offered
support to the protesters. "The hearts of all freedom-loving people were
moved by the courage of the one million men and women of Hong Kong who took to
the streets on Sunday to peacefully demand their rights, defend their
sovereignty and denounce this horrific extradition bill" and that America stands with the people in Hong Kong .
EUROPEAN UNION:
Parliamentary leader Guy Verhofstadt stated that scenes were
inspirational for making a stand for human rights and the rule of law and that Europe was watching.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Hong_Kong_anti-extradition_bill_protests
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June 15th update: Carrie Lam, the head of Hong Kong's government, has suspended the bill that would extradite defendants to mainland China, the New York Times reports. See https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/15/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-extradition-law.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
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June 16th update: Carrie Lam herself is under pressure to resign. See https://apnews.com/b5c505dc1faa4af9a47de7282dd59ed6
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June 17th update: Protesters move to a city park. See
https://apnews.com/6eb49002a4a3442f9d5555b81fa632b7
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Analysis from London and Oxford on June 17th: See
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/hong-kong-mass-protests-are-just-start-wider-human-rights-n1018211
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https://www.sltrib.com/news/2019/07/22/clashes-involving-hong/
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June 15th update: Carrie Lam, the head of Hong Kong's government, has suspended the bill that would extradite defendants to mainland China, the New York Times reports. See https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/15/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-extradition-law.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
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June 16th update: Carrie Lam herself is under pressure to resign. See https://apnews.com/b5c505dc1faa4af9a47de7282dd59ed6
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June 17th update: Protesters move to a city park. See
https://apnews.com/6eb49002a4a3442f9d5555b81fa632b7
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Analysis from London and Oxford on June 17th: See
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/hong-kong-mass-protests-are-just-start-wider-human-rights-n1018211
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Hong Kong
erupted with new demonstrations on July 21, with some violence being
demonstrated by both sides of the on-going controversy over Chinese law and
rule-of-law. There were some
injuries. The number of demonstrators
appears to have been between 100,000 and 400,000. See:
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2019/07/22/clashes-involving-hong/
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Of course the Chinese central government is furious that their Hong Kong office was targeted. See
https://apnews.com/43607d409ec84484aba9eb31d6debad2/
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