Once a vague spectre, national security legislation became a reality in Hong Kong last month when – in less than six weeks – Beijing imposed a law granting authorities sweeping powers to clamp down on dissent. Drafted behind closed doors without local legislative input, the law ostensibly targets acts in the city deemed to threaten […]
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Explainer: From ‘five demands’ to ‘independence’ – the evolution of Hong Kong’s protest slogans
What began as a handful of familiar chants against an extradition agreement with China escalated into calls for democratic reform and, eventually, independence. HKFP looks at how a year-long stream of protest slogans evolved to reflect changing protester attitudes. The near-ubiquitous rallying cry “liberate Hong Kong; the revolution of our times” was first coined in […]
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Explainer: The hidden differences between Hong Kong police rifles
The infamous AR15 is a regular sight at Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, appearing sporadically from last April, before being deployed en masse during the police siege of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and routinely ever since. There is much misunderstanding about this rifle, and its use by the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF). Largely this […]
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Explainer: Hong Kong police top brass embroiled in property scandals
The Hong Kong police force has come under public scrutiny after three senior officers were alleged to have broken land and housing laws. The controversy surrounded Rupert Dover, a British-born officer who joined the Hong Kong police force in 1988. Dover became a controversial figure last June for his highly-visible role as a commander in […]
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Explainer: Why China-made tear gas is more dangerous
It is no secret that the Chinese produced CS (tear gas) munitions recently employed by the Hong Kong police are more dangerous than the munitions produced in the West and employed at the beginning of the democracy protests. But what is less known is exactly why this is the case. The real danger of CS […]
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Explainer: 7 reasons Hongkongers are angry about the gov’t response to the coronavirus
Hong Kong people have been angered by the government’s response to the new coronavirus. In a matter of weeks, almost 10,000 people have been infected and over 100 have died in China. And locally, there have been ten confirmed cases as of this week. The spread of the virus has caused panic around the city, […]
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Explainer: Hong Kong’s Five Demands – halt the characterisation of protests as ‘riots’
After hundreds of thousands of people marched on June 9, the Hong Kong government decided to go ahead with its extradition law plans despite widespread opposition. Three days later, the Legislative Council was supposed to debate the ill-fated bill. But it never happened, as protesters surrounded the legislature, forcing the meeting to end prematurely. That […]
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Explainer: Hong Kong’s Five Demands – amnesty for all arrested protesters
In order to prevent the Legislative Council debate on the controversial extradition bill on June 12, protesters surrounded the complex and clashed with police. Some threw bottles and metal bars at officers as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and sponge grenades. At least 39 people were arrested over clashes on suspicion of rioting, […]
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Explainer: Hong Kong’s Five Demands – an independent investigation into police behaviour
On June 12, Chief Executive Carrie Lam spoke to reporters about “an issue of major public concern,” which had led her to set up an independent inquiry with wide-reaching powers. “Given the severity of this particular incident… going for a statutory commission with all the powers that I have mentioned is an appropriate approach,” Lam […]
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Explainer: Hong Kong’s Five Demands – withdrawal of the extradition bill
On October 23, Hong Kong’s security chief John Lee officially withdrew the extradition bill from the legislature – but by then it was too late. What began as opposition to an ill-conceived law had escalated into a citywide pro-democracy movement, with millions taking to the streets over the course of six months. The bill, which was […]
