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Protesters storm Hong Kong parliament, plant powerful symbol

A night of chaos in Hong Kong has seen protesters break in to the parliament, damaging the building and making a statement seen around the world.
Chaos engulfed the Hong Kong parliament on Monday night when hundreds of activists broke into the government building after weeks of protests. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

Chaos engulfed the Hong Kong parliament on Monday night when hundreds of activists broke into the government building after weeks of protests. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

Hundreds of protesters stormed Hong Kong’s parliament late on Monday as the territory marked its China handover anniversary, ransacking the building and hanging a British flag.

The young, masked anti-government activists, wearing hard hats, managed to breach the legislature after hours of attempting to smash into the building, using a metal cart as a battering ram and wielding steel poles to prize open gaps in the reinforced windows.

Once inside they tore down portraits of the city’s leaders, hoisted a British colonial era flag in the main chamber and sprayed the city crest with black paint.

Protesters smash glass doors and windows of the Legislative Council Complex on July 1, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. Picture: Getty Images
Protesters smash glass doors and windows of the Legislative Council Complex on July 1, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. Picture: Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

 

“There are no violent protesters, just tyranny,” one banner that was hoisted above the podium read.

“Hong Kong is not China,” read another.

Protesters occupied the building for more than two hours, until, after repeated warnings,

hundreds of officers wearing gas masks and shields charged demonstrators with their batons drawn.

Police fire tear gas at protesters near the government headquarters in Hong Kong on July 2, 2019. Picture: AFP
Police fire tear gas at protesters near the government headquarters in Hong Kong on July 2, 2019. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

 

Volleys of tear gas sent groups of protesters running into nearby streets, the acrid stench of the smoke wafting through the heart of the international finance hub.

By the time police moved on the city’s parliament, the vast majority of protesters who had stormed it hours earlier had already left and officers encountered little resistance retaking a forecourt outside the legislature.
 



A protester attempts to cover the Hong Kong emblem with a British colonial flag after they broke into the government headquarters in Hong Kong on July 1, 2019. Picture: AFP
A protester attempts to cover the Hong Kong emblem with a British colonial flag after they broke into the government headquarters in Hong Kong on July 1, 2019. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

 

Some then began to venture inside the building which had been ransacked and daubed with graffiti.

Other officers used wire cutters and other tools to remove barricades that demonstrators had thrown up around the building

WEEKS OF PROTESTS

Tens of thousands of democracy activists staged another peaceful march on Monday afternoon, calling for the city’s pro-Beijing leader to step down and reverse what they see as years of sliding freedoms.

The financial hub has been plunged into unprecedented political chaos after three weeks of record-breaking demonstrations against a hugely unpopular bill that would allow extraditions to the Chinese mainland.

Hundreds of protesters stormed Hong Kong's parliament late on July 1 as the territory marked its China handover anniversary, ransacking the building. Picture: AFP
Hundreds of protesters stormed Hong Kong's parliament late on July 1 as the territory marked its China handover anniversary, ransacking the building. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

 

Many protesters said they felt compelled to take the action because the city’s pro-Beijing leaders had ignored public sentiment following marches against the loathed extradition law.

“We have marched, staged sit-ins … but the government has remained unmoved,” Joey, a 26-year-old protester, told AFP as he walked over shattered glass inside the building.

“We have to show the government that we won’t just sit here and do nothing.” A protester surnamed Cheung, 24, added: “We know that this is breaking the law, but we have no choice”.

Journalists film as a protester defaces the Hong Kong emblem inside the meeting hall of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, Monday, July 1, 2019. Picture: AP
Journalists film as a protester defaces the Hong Kong emblem inside the meeting hall of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, Monday, July 1, 2019. Picture: APSource:AP

 

YEARS OF FEARS

The past three weeks of rallies are the sharpest expression of fears over Chinese influence on the territory in decades.

Protesters accuse Beijing of stamping down on the city’s freedoms and culture with the help of the finance hub’s unelected leaders.

But the increasingly hard line tactics from some protesters have alienated some, with a large counter-rally in support of the police taking place on Sunday.

Although Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997, it is still administered separately under an arrangement known as “one country, two systems”.

Standing on a table inside the main legislative chamber, one of the protesters has called on the crowd to stay inside the Hong Kong government building overnight. Picture: AFP
Standing on a table inside the main legislative chamber, one of the protesters has called on the crowd to stay inside the Hong Kong government building overnight. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

 

The city enjoys rights and liberties unseen on the autocratic mainland, but many residents fear Beijing is already reneging on that deal.

Activists have organised a march every handover anniversary, calling for greater democratic freedoms — such as the right to elect the city’s leader.

They have mustered large crowds in recent years — including a two-month occupation of parts of the city centre in 2014 — but have failed to win any concessions from Beijing.

This year’s rally is framed by unprecedented anti-government protests that have drawn millions, with the public angry over police use of tear gas and rubber bullets.

The portrait of chairman of the Legislative Council Andrew Leung is destroyed after protesters broke into the parliament chamber of the government headquarters. Pic: AFP
The portrait of chairman of the Legislative Council Andrew Leung is destroyed after protesters broke into the parliament chamber of the government headquarters. Pic: AFPSource:AFP

 

The spark for the current wave of protests was an attempt by chief executive Carrie Lam to pass the Beijing-backed extradition law, which she has now postponed following the public backlash.

But she has resisted calls to permanently shelve the law or step down. As a result the demonstrations have morphed into a wider movement against her administration and Beijing.

CHAMPAGNE TOASTS & FLAGS

Lam — who has kept out of the public eye since her climbdown and has record low approval ratings — attended a flag-raising ceremony early Monday, marking the moment the city returned to Chinese ownership 22 years ago.

Her speech stuck to the conciliatory tone she has used in recent weeks saying she recognised conflict had broken out.

Protesters gather outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong on July 1, 2019, on the 22nd anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China. Picture: AFP
Protesters gather outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong on July 1, 2019, on the 22nd anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

 

“It has made me fully understand that as a politician, I need to be aware and accurately grasp the feelings of the people.” Police said 13 officers were sent to hospital early on Monday after being doused by an “unknown liquid” from protesters while the government released a statement condemning protesters for using “extreme violence.” But activists have vowed to keep up their civil disobedience campaign. “Whatever happens we won’t lose heart,” Jason Chan, a 22-year-old accountant added. “Resistance is not a matter of a day or a week, it is long term. ”bur-jta/apj


Source: News Corp Australia Network:

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