Outside Admiralty station in Hong Kong half a dozen people were handing out masks. A supply station was being stocked with cases of water bottles, towels, hard hats and in one case some sanitary pads and a bible. Barricades had been turned into makeshift ladders, helping protesters to climb over the road divider from one side to the other. The centre of Hong Kong was a no-go zone for traffic. Taxi drivers had given up for the day and gone home.
Among the protesters opposing the extradition bill that would make it easier to hand suspects over to China there was a sense of unity, purpose and urgency.
‘We will keep fighting’
Justin Lai and Carie Ching were helping to supply protesters with water and food, underneath one of the walkways at Admiralty.
They said they were there “to say no to the policy”. They were aware debate over the extradition bill was called off on Wednesday, but said it was not enough. “They didn’t cancel the discussion they just delay,” said Ching. “We will keep fighting,” said Lai.
‘People feel like this is the last battle’
One young woman, who did not want to be named, sat under an umbrella and on top of a mess of barricades and road barriers that separated police and protesters.
“I feel like the police are being really calm but you would never know what they’re going to do next,” she said. “We have experienced something like this before, the umbrella revolution, and we want to prepare as much as possible … to protect ourselves.”
Like many others, the delaying of Wednesday’s debate on the extradition bill created hope but not enough to convince her to leave.
She said: “We’re intimidating them. We’re just waiting for a miracle … a lot of people feel like this is the last battle and we have to fight it. I just wish the government would listen. The government should work for the people, not the other way around.”
‘We don’t trust China’
One protester, a 55-year-old lab technician who gave his name only as Chan, said: “I am here for Hong Kong, for our next generation.
“We don’t trust China. Rules and laws can be arbitrarily applied and we can see this in Hong Kong already,” he says, citing the recent disqualifications of pro-democracy politicians and jailing of the leaders of the 2014 Occupy Central movement.
He said if the law was passed he would convert his savings to US dollars and seek to move abroad.
What is the proposed extradition law?
Hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated in Hong Kong against legal changes that would make it easier to extradite people to China. Supporters say the amendments are key to ensuring the city does not become a criminal refuge, but critics worry Beijing will use the law to extradite political opponents and others to China. Under the amended law, those accused of offences punishable by seven years or more in prison could be extradited.
Who is supporting the change?
The government claims the push to change the law, which would also apply to Taiwan and Macau, stems from the killing last year of a Hong Kong woman while she was in Taiwan with her boyfriend. Authorities in Taiwan suspect the woman’s boyfriend, who remains in Hong Kong, but cannot try him because no extradition agreement is in place.
Officials have promised to safeguard against abuses, pledging that no one at risk of political or religious persecution will be sent to the mainland. Suspects who could face the death penalty would not be extradited.
Hong Kong officials have repeatedly said the bill has not come from the central government in Beijing. However, Beijing has voiced its backing for the changes.
Why are Hong Kongers so angry?
Many Hong Kongers fear the proposed extradition law will be used by authorities to target political enemies. They worry the new legislation spells the end of the “one country, two systems” policy, eroding the civil rights enjoyed by Hong Kong residents since the handover of sovereignty from the UK to China in 1997.
Many attending the protests said they could not trust China as it had often used non-political crimes to target government critics, and said they also feared Hong Kong officials would not be able to reject Beijing’s requests. Legal professionals have also expressed concern over the rights of those sent across the border to be tried. The conviction rate in Chinese courts is as high as 99%. Arbitrary detentions, torture and denial of legal representation of one’s choosing are also common.
‘We don’t want to get violent’
Brian Chan, 23, a university graduate, was pepper sprayed by police and treated at a makeshift first-aid station. His arms were red from an allergic reaction.
He said: “We don’t want to get violent and it’s wrong, but if the government keeps ignoring us we can’t rule out escalating our actions.” He declined to elaborate.
‘Law could easily be used for political purposes’
Grace Chan, 30, who has a two-year-old child, said: “I don’t want my kid to grow up in a place where we have no sense of security. Although they say the law is for going after fugitives, it can be so easily used for political purpose.”
‘Why did they use tear gas?’
Later, as police began to attack the protesters with rubber bullets and tear gas, Ada, 48, said she was “shocked and upset”. She was on a walkway above the site where police fired the shots. “I had no idea they would keep firing tear gas as people were retreating already. Why did they do that?”
Two young men in their 20s said they were hit by tear gas and were now leaving. One said: “I am not sure if I’ll come back. The situation is too bad now.”
‘The law is a very wrong thing’
“The government just wants to scare the young people [by shooting tear gas],” said 80-year-old Wong Shan. “The government really shouldn’t do this to peaceful protesters. Some police were even holding rifles. Unlike the 1967 riot, nobody is wrecking shops. They are just voicing their opinions. The law is a very wrong thing.”
“Hong Kong has become a dangerous place,” said Freeman Yim, 36, a construction worker. “You can just imagine what Hong Kong will become once the law comes in. Everyone has come out, whatever sector they belong to. But the government doesn’t listen. We cannot put up with this any more.”
