Police clear the Occupy Movement sit-in. Students: "We will return"
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - Hundreds of police and judicial officers are clearing the remaining Occupy Movement in Admiralty. The area has been occupied by the pro-democracy movement for 75 days. Whilst failing to change Beijing's and the local Government's stance, it has polarized millions of people and young people under the banner of true democracy.
Many young people are gathering their belongings to leave the area; others remain in defiance. While they preparing to be arrested they read books on politics or study. Here and there you can see banners and graffiti with the words: "We will return!" One such writing directed specifically at the police says: "You can clear a place physically, but you cannot delete an idea."
Eviction notice was given two days ago. This morning police cordoned off the Admiralty area and warned they were about to begin evicting. Everyone was asked to leave the area. Those who resisted would be arrested.
Over 100 student leaders, parliamentarians, members of democratic parties and supporters of the Occupy Movement are staying in the area and are prepared to be arrested. Amongst them the movement's leaders, parliamentarians Emily Lau, Albert Ho, Alan Leong; Jimmy Lau, owner of the Apple Daily newspaper; Martin Lee, founder of the Democratic Party.
Alex Chow, Secretary General of the Federation of University Students, said that after the eviction by police, they will continue civil disobedience in other ways, fighting for true democracy and observing the principles of non-violence.
Cardinal John Tong, Bishop of Hong Kong, yesterday launched an urgent appeal calling on the police and the demonstrators to respect the law and to exercise restraint in order to avoid conflicts and outbreaks of violence. He also urged the government and members of the Movement to "resume dialogue on electoral reform as soon as possible, in an attempt to overcome the friction and polarization between the groups".
The Cardinal has also asked all the faithful of the diocese to pray intensely for the good of society in Hong Kong.
Starting early in the morning large groups of police officers surrounded the area. At 10.30 judicial bailiffs removed almost all the barricades, fences and benches erected in recent months by the demonstrators. It took at least 2 hours to clean up the area. But there is still much to do and it is likely that the eviction will be completed only in the late evening. It is expected that by midnight the streets - blocked for over two months - will be newly viable.
None of the protesters tried to stop the operation. A group of 20 professors from different universities, together with members of the Human Rights Monitor, remained on site to ensure the safety of the students and ensure that the eviction occurred without the use of excessive force by police.
Last night, more than 10 thousand demonstrators gathered at Admiralty and many decided to spend the night there. This morning, after the police warning, many protesters dismantled their tents, removed the art work and the material on display. Some broke into tears. One of them concludes: "We have struggled for weeks. We will continue to fight for democracy."
.png)
30/06/2017 09:35
