Hong Kongers put the “civil” in civil disobedience
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Since the weekend, tens of thousands of Hong Kongers have protested in the streets in a remarkably calm fashion. Despite being tear-gassed by the police, the vast majority of demonstrators have been relaying messages of peace and carefully cleaning up after themselves. Here's a closer look at how they've managed to keep this atmosphere of civility intact.
Since the weekend, tens of thousands of Hong Kongers have protested in the streets in a remarkably calm fashion. Despite being tear-gassed by the police, the vast majority of demonstrators have been relaying messages of peace and carefully cleaning up after themselves.
The pro-democracy protesters are calling for China to abandon its plans to vet candidates in the next elections for Hong Kong’s leadership, scheduled for 2017. They are also calling for Hong Kong’s current chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, to step down. Leung has demanded an end to the protests, but demonstrators are staying defiant. They are occupying the city’s central business district as well as several other key areas, where they have set up barricades and stockpiled supplies.
This may at first look like a candlelight vigil, but it is in fact hundreds of protesters holding up their mobile phones on Monday.
The police unsuccessfully attempted to dislodge protesters on Sunday by attacking them with pepper spray, which caused widespread indignation. Since then, police have refrained from using such methods. Demonstrators have made signs thanking them for this, and are making a point of keeping the protest sites clean, even going so far as to set up recycling for plastic bottles.
Photo published on Twitter by YourAnonGlobal. The sign on the right reads, "Sorry for the inconvenience".
“We don’t want things to become chaotic, which would give law enforcement an excuse to use violence”
Gordon Lam has been protesting since day one. He is a university student in hotel management.
I’ve only been going home once in a while to get a bit of rest. It’s important for us to stay out here and keep our numbers up. While occupying the streets, I’ve been doing volunteer work -- for example, by cleaning up rubbish.
I have also been trying to calm down aggressive people. There aren’t many of them, maybe one for every hundred people, but we need to keep them in check so they don’t complicate the situation. There are rumours circulating that they are agitators sent by the government, but we really have no idea. When I see one of them start yelling at the police or trying to push over a barricade, I and other protesters try to talk them down, and when they see they’re outnumbered they usually go away. We also alert the organizers who are up on stage and they use their microphones to calm the crowd down. I am a bit worried, because I’m seeing more of them every day. We don’t want things to become chaotic, which would give law enforcement an excuse to use violence.
This sign reads, "Thanks for your hard work police officers! Take a holiday!" Published on Twitter by Freakingcat.
When the police change shifts, we clap for them and thank them for staying calm. We know that they are working long hours, and must be quite tired. We understand they are not the enemy, that they are just following orders. We want to encourage them to protect the people, not those in power.
What makes me really happy is to see that even when things have gotten chaotic, protesters remain civil. For example on Sunday, when we were running away from the clouds of pepper spray, people were telling each other to run slower, to make sure we didn’t step on one another. There is a strong sense of solidarity.
“It is in Hong Kongers’ mentality to be civil and respectful, but I also credit organisers for putting a huge emphasis on keeping things peaceful”
Tobey Wai is a graduate student in translation.
I’ve been coming to the protests to help out in any way I can. Mostly, I help with the transportation of goods from one site to another. This is an important task, since protesters need protective materials in case the police use pepper spray against them. We hand out facemasks and first aid materials, as well as raincoats and umbrellas to help them withstand the rain. We’ve also distributed tons of donations in the form of food and water.
A few times, the police have blocked us from transporting our supplies, but after peaceful dialogue, they’ve opened the road. There’s one sit-in we have difficulty accessing, near the government’s headquarters, because the police keep it very well surrounded. Reporters have better access, so we sometimes ask them to carry supplies there.
Protesters are careful to keep up good relations with the police; they will often ask officers if they want food or water. I think it is in Hong Kongers’ mentality to be civil and respectful, but I also credit organizers for putting a huge emphasis on keeping things peaceful. They know that’s the only way Hong Kongers can win, and that violence would not do us a bit of good.
"Do you hear the people sing?" Photo published on Twitter by Occupy Central.
A string quarter performing during the protests. Courtesy of Anna Cummings/TimeOut.
Protesters cleaning up their protest site on Tuesday. Published on Twitter by Freakingcat.
Protesters distribute water supplies. Published on Twitter by Freakingcat.
A plastic bottle recycling station. Published on Twitter by Freakingcat.
