.

NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Communists attack pro-democracy Hong Kong protests



Communists: "No freedom of speech."
Thousands protest for free elections.


Pro-democracy protesters, some wearing surgical masks and holding up umbrellas to protect against tear gas, expanded their rallies throughout Hong Kong on Monday, defying calls to disperse in a major pushback against Beijing’s decision to limit democratic reforms in the Asian financial hub.

Police officers tried to negotiate with protesters camped out on a normally busy highway near the Hong Kong government headquarters that was the scene of tear gas-fueled clashes that erupted the evening before.

An officer with a bullhorn tried to get them to clear the way for the commuters. A protester, using the group’s own speaker system, responded by saying that they wanted Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to demand a genuine choice for the territory’s voters reports the New York Post.

“Do something good for Hong Kong. We want real democracy!” he shouted.
 
 
Drone Captures Hong Kong Protests From The Skies
 
 
 
Despite the heavy use of tear gas on Sunday, pro-democracy protesters
returned to central Hong Kong on Monday.Photo: Getty Images

China has called the protests illegal and endorsed the Hong Kong government’s crackdown. The clashes — images of which have been beamed around the world — are undermining Hong Kong’s image as a safe financial haven, and raised the stakes of the face-off against President Xi Jinping’s government. Beijing has taken a hard line against threats to the Communist Party’s monopoly on power, including clamping down on dissidents and Muslim Uighur separatists in the country’s far west.

The mass protests are the strongest challenge yet to Beijing’s decision last month to reject open nominations for candidates under proposed guidelines for the first-ever elections for Hong Kong’s leader, promised for 2017. Instead, candidates must continue to be hand-picked by Beijing — a move that many residents viewed as reneging on promises to allow greater democracy in the semi-autonomous territory.

With rumors swirling, the Beijing-backed and deeply unpopular Leung reassured the public that speculation that the Chinese army might intervene was untrue.

The protest has been spearheaded largely by student-age activists but has gathered momentum among a broad range of people, from high school students to the elderly.

Protesters also occupied streets in other parts of Hong Kong Island, including the upscale shopping area of Causeway Bay as well as across the harbor in densely populated Mong Kok on the Kowloon peninsula. The city’s transport department said roads in those areas were closed.


Sky's Mark Stone In Midst Of Hong Kong Protests  




Thousands Of Protesters Camp Out In Hong Kong  




Pro-democracy protesters take a rest after intense
conflicts with police on Sept. 29.


 
Tear gassing the crowd


No comments: