This year’s July 1st rally had a few non-Chinese participants in the crowd. Here is a snapshot of what they thought of the march and why they attended.
Joe Wyatt, 20, Scotland
Wyatt, a student at Edinburgh University, said: “I’m here because I think it’s very important to stick up for Hong Kong. I’ve lived here for the majority for my life. The veto was a good step, but it’s a first step in a long fight against this fake suffrage that’s being forced upon us, and achieving true universal suffrage.”
Charles Limbumba, 44, Tanzania
Limbumba has been a refugee in Hong Kong for six years. He was at Victoria Park to protest against the territory’s denial of refugees’ right to work.
Juliette Lailler, 21, France
Lailler is a university student in Hong Kong doing an internship. she said: “I am from France so was very impressed at how peaceful and quiet the protests were”. Lailler added she was happy to see the yellow umbrellas were still being unfurled.
Sheila Estrada, 55, The Philippines
Estrada (left) is a domestic worker. She said: “We want Hong Kong to have universal suffrage. We also need democracy to fight for our rights to stop exploitation.”
Tom Midgley, 50, United Kingdom
Midgley, who owns a coffee shop on Lantau Island, says he wants to have a separate culture from the mainland, and to “stop it from being diluted by China”. He thinks the Basic Law needs to be rewritten. “China has interpreted it in quite an unfair way. It should be rewritten in a way that Beijing cannot interfere,” he said.
Additional Reporting by: Eric Cheung and Vicky Wong.
