EXCLUSIVE: Hong Kong Democracy Demonstrations, Day 17 — The Empire (sort of) Strikes Back (Hong Kong Style)

Starting this morning, Hong Kong police executed an operation to clear street barricades on Queensway Road and other major arteries in Hong Kong.  It’s unclear to me how the clearing has gone in Causeway Bay and on Nathan Road on the Kowloon side. But in the Admiralty district immediately in front of my office, I’ve been taking periodic trips downstairs to see and photograph the police work methodically all morning and into the afternoon to push protesters back out of the road and systematically dismantle and clear the barricades they had built.

I saw NO violence.  The vast majority of the police wore empty holsters — only very senior officers carried their sidearms.  No riot weapons (shotguns, tear gas grenade launchers) were evident, but other riot gear was visible — small clear plastic shields and helmets (although none of the police were wearing helmets).

A few students were standing on the sidelines weeping, while others had pulled back to the barricades that protected the approaches to the main protest site in front of the government offices, a block away.  Police were making no attempt to clear those barriers.  During one phase of the clearing, the police formed a cordon to allow protesters to retrieve their tents and other personal items from the underpass where they’d been camping.

At one key point along Queensway, students were sitting in the streets leading to the main road.  A line of police standing at the edge of Queensway faced off against this group to keep the students from moving back into the main road.  As of now (1:30 PM Hong Kong time) that is the only large group of police still present on the main road.  I suspect this may stay this way to keep the protesters from trying to re-block Queensway.

All of this was done in what I think of as “Hong Kong style:” Compared to anywhere else in the world (including definitely anywhere else in China), everyone was incredibly polite on both sides, there were a minimum of raised voices, and the police force was professional and outright courteous to the protesters and curious passersby and people who work in the area who had to navigate the work of barricade clearing that was underway all along the road. I saw no arrests and have heard of none.  I spoke with one police officer who told me that no arrests were planned.  The entire operation was very well organized and executed in a very efficient manner — typical Hong Kong.

Now the big question is how the pro-democracy demonstrators will react.  Over the last week or so, they have proved themselves to be a largely leaderless movement.  Will they try to move back onto the main roads and block them again?  If they do, I fear they may lose significant popular support — and that the police response might not be so polite next time.

Police blockade of area where protesters had encamped under a road crossing.

Police line blocking access to the protester camp under a road crossing on Queensway.

Police lines blocked access to the blockade-clearing operation.

Police carried out the clearing operation with precision and . . . politeness.

After yesterday’s tense confrontation with the “Antis,” the protesters had reinforced their barricades with bamboo fencing. That didn’t last long.

Police cordon through which protesters retrieved personal items left at their encampment when the clearing operation had begun earlier in the morning.

Exclusive PunditCam aerial view of police action on Queensway.

Police line opposite students sitting in access road.

Police and democracy demonstrators face off at the edge of Queensway.

By early afternoon, a few umbrellas are all that was left of the protester encampment in front of the Bank of China Tower.

Students pushed out of the encampment discussing their next steps.

Demonstrators at one of the barricade sites still surrounding the main protest area in front of the central government office.

The main protest site was undisturbed.

EXCLUSIVE: Hong Kong Democracy Demonstrations Day 16 — The Empire Strikes Back (sort of)

About an hour and half ago a group opposed to the pro-democracy protesters made a concerted attempt to take down the barricades on Queensway Boulevard near where I work.  Hearing the commotion, I headed down and snapped some pics.  After about a tense hour, the “Antis” backed down and left in groups of ten or twelve.

The “Anti” group heading East on Queensway toward a protester blockade. I’d say there were between 250 and 500 people in this group.

The “Anti” group was accompanied by a handful of taxis. They chanted “OPEN, OPEN” in Cantonese.

The police very quickly mustered and formed lines to separate the two groups.

Looking south, with the “Midlevels” neighborhood (where REALLY rich people — the 0.001% — live in Hong Kong) in the background

Soon the largest group on the scene were curious people drawn down from the surrounding skyscrapers.

Police escort a couple of angry “Anti” folks away who had gotten on the protester side of the barricades and tried to pick fights — I personally witnessed their aggressiveness.

Police lines like this formed very fast to hold strategic roads leading to the site of the confrontation.

Police movements around the area were very well coordinated, and their fast work averted an ugly fight. I personally observed multiple occasions where individual policemen and policewomen acted very calmly and professionally to defuse small confrontations.

The average age of the “Anti” people was probably 40 years higher than the pro-democracy protesters. Interestingly, I observed quite a few groups like this of fairly elderly people who seemed to have come together and, in the end left together — accompanied by one or two younger people who seemed to be organizing them.

More of what I called the “Grey Brigade” that I watched for some time. I was convinced by what I saw that they had come and departed as a group organized by a much smaller number of younger people.

EXCLUSIVE: Hong Kong Democracy Demonstrations, Day 11 — Today’s Sign

There is little true “news” from Hong Kong about the pro-democracy demonstrations.  The students and others in the pro-democracy movement are being urged by supporters to get better organized before talks with the government begin tomorrow.  Meanwhile, various reports have appeared in world media to the effect that there is effectively no support for the Hong Kong democracy movement on the mainland.  I think these are accurate.  The vast majority of Chinese have no idea what’s going on in Hong Kong other than what is spoon-fed to them by the party-approved media, and a common view of Hongkongers on the mainland is that they are “ungrateful,” unpatriotic and too influenced by Western ideas and media.

My personal opinion is that the demonstrators need to declare a tactical victory, raise the road blockades and think very hard about organizing for the long game — the very, very long game.

Meanwhile, two new signs at the blockade outside my office:

EXCLUSIVE: Hong Kong Democracy Demonstrations Day 7 — More Scenes and Signs

Last night the local press was full of reports of scuffles and fights breaking out between demonstrators and groups of men — civilians, not police — who were confronting them in the blockade of Nathan Road on the Kowloon side of the harbour.  This neighborhood is far more “blue collar” than the posh areas on the island (where I live) that have been blocked.  Some of those attacking the students have been confirmed to be men with “triad” backgrounds.  The triads are Hong Kong organized crime gangs that are the analog of the Japanese yakuza or the US mafia.  The demonstrators believe the triads have been hired by Beijing’s secret police to create provocations and bad press — to give the impression of popular opposition to the student movement.  Police finally stepped in and calmed things down, but the pro-Beijing commenters are out in force on Hong Kong news websites citing the incidents as evidence of popular, grassroots opposition to the street blockades.

A Saturday stroll through the Central/Admiralty barricades to the blockaded government complex revealed significantly reinforced barriers across the roads, and a still impressive number of protesters in front of the main government building.  Periodic rain squalls and a week on the streets haven’t undermined what looks like a committed core of activists who seem to give no indication of abandoning their blockades of main roads in Hong Kong.

An unmanned barricade on the far western edge of the Central demonstration area in front of the famous Mandarin Oriental hotel. A close look reveals that the demonstrators are now using stout zip ties and plastic wrap to make it impossible to clear the barricades quickly.

The westernmost manned outpost in Central — a small, lonely encampment.

A rare sight in 21st century Hong Kong — a phone booth. It bore a few notes from the protesters.

There are lots of puns and plenty of wordplay in both English and Chinese throughout the site — although what is clever in one language is just straightforward in the other.

One of Hong Kong’s busiest roads remained a pedestrian walkway on the seventh day of the demonstrations.

The ubiquitous umbrella combined with the 5-petaled flower symbol of Hong Kong.

“We want genuine universal suffrage” “Hongkongers supporting Hongkongers”

“Hong Kong” “Hope”

Hongkongers making the pilgrimage along the blocked freeway to the main demonstration site has become a regular outing.

Clearly there are some engineering students among the protesters.

Cresting the top of the overpass (“flyover” in Hong Kong’s UK-influenced English), the view of the main center of the demonstration.

Demonstrators have settled into life on the streets.

“689” is code for CY Leung — the number of votes the governor received from the Beijing-controlled electoral council.

A wall covered with post-it notes containing answers to the question “Why are we here” is a magnet for the press and visiting locals.

“Occupy Central” is (was?) the name of a semi-organized group of opposition political figures. The students have been out ahead of “OC” all through this process, for good or ill.

The Chinese is a clever pun on the word for “patriotism” — the meaning is “sorrowful for my country.”

“The people of Hong Kong thank you.”

A comment on the people who attacked protesters in Kowloon last night.

The gate to the main entrance to the government complex — now covered in yellow ribbons and protest signs.

Although the average age of the protesters seems to be somewhere around 20, it isn’t hard to find groups like this — who in more normal times might be doing tai chi in Hong Kong Park.

A van delivering hot meals to the protesters.

EXCLUSIVE: Hong Kong Democracy Demonstrations Day 6 — Scenes and Signs

A noon-time walk through the Central/Admiralty demonstration site in front of the main government offices revealed that the end of the National Day holiday and periodic drenching rain had thinned the crowd somewhat, but that there were still more than enough demonstrators to hold the blockade.  Local news sources report that there are some talks going on through intermediaries, but there seems to be no possibility that CY Leung (the Beijing-approved Hong Kong head of government) will resign as the protesters have demanded, nor that Beijing will modify its ruling that candidates for chief executive elections to be held in 2017 will have to be nominated by a body that Beijing will control.  At this point it is hard to see how the demonstrators can stand down without seeming to have been defeated.  Yet it also seems that many in the city are tiring of the disruptions caused by the barricades across three key roadways in a place where limited space means that there are few, if any, alternative routes.

The main entry way to the central government offices, still blocked. The banner says “My parents cry for me; I cry for the future.”

A flyer identifying suspected agents provocateur — they are accused of posing as demonstrators and urging violent action.

A poem entitled “Our Generations’s Tiananmen” — the gist is that although we may die, someday the dream of democracy and freedom will be realized.

“There is no mass demonstration without the masses.”

“Value (our) supplies; carry out refuse.”

A Chinese flag with the stars replaced by the words “Corruption, Illicit Sexual Relations, Obscenity/Excess, Theft, Plunder”

“Don’t become divided”

“[an obscenity involving one’s mother]” to China; for Hong Kong, “Stay strong” (There may be a second level of meaning here connecting the two sentiments . . .)

“Our Demand: Just Universal Suffrage” “Our struggle: Peace, liberty, prosperity”

This seems to be a message from one element of the demonstrators who want to limit the action to just the one area in front of the central government offices and abandon the blockade in the Mon Kok area of Kowloon across the harbor.

The periodic heavy rain has pushed people to congregate under the pedestrian walkways leading to the blockaded government offices

A large contingent held the blockade at a major overpass leading to the government offices. The International Finance Center Tower — the tallest building on Hong Kong island — stands about seven blocks to the west.

Banners on the pedestrian walkway above the center of the demonstration: “Police and citizens – from the same root” and “Support Hongkongers”

The Chinese in the middle: “Peace”

“How do you know things will be better tomorrow?” “We don’t know, but we have hope.”

“A clear appeal for democracy; seeking public nominations”

EXCLUSIVE: Hong Kong Democracy Demonstrations – Day 2 Signs

At noon today I walked through the site of the demonstrations and street blockades in front of the central government offices.  There were slightly fewer people there than at the same time yesterday, but they seemed better organized and definitely better provisioned.  Below are some of the signs I encountered.

One of the few signs in English — posted near one of the main entry ways into the demonstrator’s area.

“Longshore Union” “Strike to support the students”

“Persevere to the End”

The Chinese text clashes with the politeness of the English sign. The Chinese reads “Hong Kong police eat dog shit”

“I love Hong Kong” and “C.Y. Leung (Hong Kong’s Chief Executive) Step Down”

“Resist to the End”

My favorite: “Protect endangered species — Hongkongers”

EXCLUSIVE: Hong Kong Democracy Demonstrations Day 1.5

I call it “Day 1.5” because what’s really happened here is that student protests grew beyond anyone’s anticipation last night.  The student pro-democracy movement has had a completely different dynamic and wasn’t formally allied with the “official” Occupy Central movement or any of the political actors who are known under the general rubric of “Pan-Democrats.”  The students crowded too close to a couple of major government facilities last night and the police fired tear gas into them.  This brought out lots of Hongkongers in support who hadn’t been participating before, and forced the hand of the “adults” in Occupy and the Pan-Democrats to move up their plans for demonstrations on October 1 and 2 — the Chinese National Day holidays.

At noon I took a different route around the western edge of the barricaded area, and ended up getting a much better view from above of the main body of the demonstrators directly in front of the central government office.  On the way there, I paid a visit to the People Liberation Army’s main barracks on Hong Kong island — which just happens to be a block away from where the demonstrators are blocking access to the central government building.

Also, a note about “Occupy Central” — one of the organizing groups.  The choice of the “Occupy” name is unfortunate, because the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong has very little in common with the unfocused and disorganized “Occupy Wall Street” thing and its mutant progeny in various Western cities.  The Hong Kong “Occupy” group is not a vague anti-corporate, leftist gesture, as Occupy Wall Street was.  The issues here are real and focused — rule of law and actual democracy (not some vague invocation of “the 99%”).

One of the blockades on the western edge of the protest zone. In the outlying areas, the demonstrators seem to have posted just a few people to block traffic.

Main entrance to the PLA barracks, just a block from the center of the demonstration in Central/Admiralty (there are others in Wan Chai and Kowloon districts). Nothing menacing seemed to be going on and there was less security in this particular spot than I saw back in August when things were cranking up.

Tamar Park — just north of the now-blocked central government building. The sign and facilities are set up for a celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Peoples Republic of China on October 1st. One wonders what will come of that now.

Shots of main center of demonstrators immediately in front of central government building.

Shots of main center of demonstrators immediately in front of central government building.

Shots of main center of demonstrators immediately in front of central government building.

Shots of main center of demonstrators immediately in front of central government building.

Support for things like water and basic shelter (umbrellas) seemed ad hoc, but also seemed to be building up.

Support for things like water and basic shelter (umbrellas) seemed ad hoc, but also seemed to be building up.

Support for things like water and basic shelter (umbrellas) seemed ad hoc, but also seemed to be building up.

Support for things like water and basic shelter (umbrellas) seemed ad hoc, but also seemed to be building up.