A general strike has been called on Monday, with seven simultaneous rallies planned in different districts.
The calls for action have been launched by Hong Kong residents with the support of pro-democracy groups. Rallies are planned for 1pm at Tamar Park in Admiralty, Sha Tin Town Hall Plaza, Tuen Mun Park, Discovery Park in Tsuen Wan, Wong Tai Sin Square, MacPherson Playground in Mong Kok and Kwong Fuk Football Park in Tai Po.
At a press conference on Friday, lawmaker Au Nok-hin said all peaceful protesters should join the strike and the rallies to force the government to respond to public demands.
“If you don’t go to work for a day, you may lose a meal; But if Hong Kong is broken, you can’t fix it anymore,” he said.
The anti-extradition bill protests have evolved into large-scale protests calling for democracy and fighting against the police use of force.
Carol Ng, head of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, said current laws offered few protections when it comes to political strikes.
“We urge the public to be understanding and tolerant towards the strike on Monday,” she said.
She said unions under the confederation have mobilised workers, including bus drivers, flight attendants, MTR Corporation workers, higher education staff, cleaning workers and property management workers.
She added that the head of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Catholic Church in Hong Kong, and some medium or small-sized companies have said they will be tolerant of workers who go on strike.
Mr Lam, who applied to the police for the Tuen Mun rally, said the public will only be helping the government if they continue to work or pay taxes, and urged them to join the strike.
“It will only help the government to have the funds to buy weapons to shoot us,” he said.
At a separate press conference, a social worker group said over 2,000 social workers had signed up to go on strike on Monday.
The extradition bill would allow the city to handle case-by-case fugitive transfers to jurisdictions with no prior arrangements, including China. Critics have said residents would be at risk of extradition to the mainland, which lacks human rights protections. Chief Executive Carrie Lam has declared the bill “dead,” but did not enact any mechanism to withdraw it.
Hong Kong protesters have made five demands during recent protests against the government. The demands include a complete withdrawal of the now-suspended bill, a retraction of the “riot” characterisation of the June 12 protests, an independent investigation into police behaviour and an unconditional release of all arrested protesters. In recent weeks, they also called for a disbanding of the legislature and implementation of universal suffrage.
