Weekend: Demonstrations (1 July Handover day)

1 July is a bipolar day. Part of the population would be celebrating the handover of Hong Kong from British colonial rule to Chinese sovereignty. Another [larger] part of the population will take the streets in what is now for them an annual occasion to protest on the streets. 

I've heard the criticisms about these demonstrations on 1 July becoming ritualistic, devoid of the meaning it held back in 2003 when the feeling of solidarity was strong; when all sectors of society united to repel the implementation of Article 23. Others would think the protests are pointless, given the image of relative economic prosperity Hong Kong projects. But even with Article 23 now shelved indefinitely (that is what the officials say, but then again, Chief Executive CY Leung said he would never run for the position), the issue still hasn't gone away. And there are new problems to take to task. Never has the wealth gap become so wide in the city; or was there such an obvious attempt being made by a governing body to exert control over the creative sector. The new Chief Executive is plagued by his illegal structure scandal, to which he never provided adequate answers for. Mainland activist Li WangYang's death remains unaddressed, costs of living are rising and hindering the social mobility of the younger generations. 

These issues don't dissipate after a single demonstration; many remain unresolved and cumulate to increase social tensions through the years. It could be because Hong Kong is a society that loves complaining, or that the SAR government is doing a fairly shoddy job. I'm inclined to believe in the latter. 

There are plenty of written material covering the demonstrations itself (newspapers, televised news, blogs, etc. Not to mention compilations of academic essays...) so without rambling on too much, here are some photos: 

Mr. Kacey Wong as the 'real' Cultural Bureau chief, in his pink tank. His secret weapon? A stack of hard cash to pay the art protesters off. (Unfortunately, money/funding does dictate the fate of many art endeavours in this city, and artists are increasingly feeling the squeeze from high rents. Not only are young artists struggling to survive with the tide of rising rents, even academic institutions aren't immune. The art department of Baptist University is currently under threat, with the rent skyrocketting within a short period of time and proving to be unaffordable by the institution. BU students have started a protest action, citing that the government was basically setting the costs so high to deliberately force the students out.) 

Example of the money being handed out by the 'real' chief (personally, I find these bills much more fun and interesting than the real currency we use.)

Placard reads " don't stand out today, may not be able to stand out tomorrow"...such fears are not unfounded...

...given that there was the proposed limitations towards works of parody in the city. Article 23 makes a comeback as a theme.

Hello Kitty was another recurring motif; shame on CY Leung for using the iconic cat as an excuse during his illegal structures scandal

To the new Tamar government building, where the theme was 'Doors always Open'. Not as opened as one would believe...they let protesters into the courtyard, but no one was there to listen. I suppose they expect the Hong Kong inhabitants to protest during office hours. 

Marching even after the sun sets, anger not confined to daylight hours. The last of the crowds didn't leave Victoria Park until late in the afternoon/early evening, so I'm not sure how the police can even justify their estimate of a 65,000 turnout. They ought to make all their recruits take a maths class in basic counting.

Fireworks celebrating the handover being booed by the protesting crowds. Shows how disconnected the SAR government is from public sentiments. (On a personal note, the entire atmosphere was incredible. Hearing the fireworks echo all around thanks to the tall buildings, and seeing the lights in the sky accompanied by the shouts of the crowd, was strangely touching.)

[This post is more than a month late, but a few personal events cropped up (resettling back in the U.K.) and it took time to get everything sorted out. Just because I'm now geographically distanced from Hong Kong, doesn't mean I would be any less interested or angry at the events that happen there.]