Student protesters stage overnight sit-in outside Government House in call for democracy
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 25 September, 2014, 11:37am
UPDATED : Friday, 26 September, 2014, 1:16am
Tony Cheung, Samuel Chan, Peter So
Student protesters carry a giant picture of CY Leung depicted as a vampire. Photo: Sam Tsang
Students who marched to Hong Kong's Government House to protest Beijing's strict package of electoral reforms announced just before 1am that they would spend the night outside the building and attempt to confront Chief Executive CY Leung in the morning.
President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Student Union, Cheung Sau-yin, called on protesters who earlier marched from Tamar to Government House to invite their friends to join the impromptu overnight gathering.
A number of protesters left the site saying they were going to buy food and water for the night.
The march, which took around two hours, saw demonstrators engage in minor scuffles with police en route, as they felt they were being unfairly hemmed in by strict cordons.
Police watch as the last of the protesters pass St John's Cathedral. Photo: Samuel Chan
A tally by an SCMP reporter who watched the protesters cross a footbridge put the number of people taking part in the rally, which began at Tamar Park at 9.30pm, at over 1,300.
The Federation of Students claimed on its Facebook page that 4,000 people had turned out. Leader Alex Chow branded the protest the biggest act of civil disobedience since the 1997 handover.
The group reached the rear gate of Government House on Upper Albert Road at about 11.45pm, where dozens of police officers were waiting.
People attend an evening rally in Tamar Park on September 25, 2014. Photo: Sam Tsang
Chow, referring to a giant picture of CY Leung depicted with fangs, which was being held aloft by protesters, said: "Leung has refused to meet us, but today we've brought his true face here - he is a vampire... and it's shameless for him to refuse to come out."
Police refused to allow the marchers to proceed to the main gate of Government House, eliciting boos from some protesters who sat in the road outside the rear gate.
Sheets of white paper were handed out for demonstrators to fold into paper planes that could be thrown into the government compound. Some, however, were unhappy with the form of the protest. A group of students from Tung Wah College shouted: "We're not here for origami."
The majority of those taking part in he march appeared to be aged in their late teens or early 20s, with many walking under the banners of various university associations. Among the marchers were a number of middle aged people and those of retirement age.
Chants of 'we want true democracy', 'abolish functional constituencies' and 'Hong Kong is our home ground - the NPC doesn't represent us', rang out earlier as the marchers proceeded through the city's streets.
Participant Wing Lam, 28, said he was risking arrest as "the only thing that matters is whether it's the right thing to do".
"I can't allow myself to be watching TV at home while the students are fighting for our future," he said.
Marchers one to an standstill outside the Cheung Kong Centre. Photo: SCMP
Tempers started to fray when protesters were held up in Lower Albert Road and Garden Road, as police insisted they stick to a strict route. In Lower Albert Road a 20-minute stalemate eventually ended when police agreed to allow one lane of the road to be used by the demonstrators.
But some marchers attemped to push through a police cordon, with officers responding by issuing two warnings that they could use force if their actions continued.
Speaking in a rally before the march, Federation of Students deputy secretary general Lester Shum reminded the crowd about their legal rights in case the police arrested them, as the march is an act of civil disobedience.
"Tonight we are going to the Government House to tell Leung that he doesn't deserve to live there, to be our chief executive and to rule us. He should be serving us, not the Communist Party," said a social sciences student named Gabriel.
Although students said they would notify police of their intention to march, no official permission was sought.
Police issued their first warning to students that they may face arrest as the demonstrators crossed a footbridge near Admiralty.
A police woman used a microphone to warn that they were taking part in an unauthorised march and could face prosecution, while a yellow banner repeated the warning.
Earlier students, in the fourth day of a classroom boycott, pledged to blockage roads around Government House.
Boycott organisers said they hoped the blockade of Leung's official residence would force the city's leader to face them. The students earlier set a 48-hour deadline for a meeting to take place, which passed at 11am this morning.
Yvonne Leung, president of the University of Hong Kong’s student union, said this morning: “Obviously Leung did not respond to our request to show up in Tamar Park. This is definitely not the end of our actions and we will escalate them.
“We will march to Government House tonight, to find him and force him to respond."
Leung added that it was possible that the students may stage a night-long sit-in outside Government House on Upper Albert Road, although a final decision had yet to be made.
Students attend a lecture presented by Petula Ho Sik-ying, associate professor of HKU's department of social work and social administration, in Tamar. Photo: Sam Tsang
She added that police would be informed of the march but that the group would not apply for a "letter of no objection" - permission to hold the march - as it was supposed to be a deliberate act of civil disobedience.
Leung denied the boycott campaign was losing support, saying that a gathering in the park on Wednesday night was up on the previous night. Organisers estimated 5,000 pople turned out on Wednesday.
Elsewhere on Thursday, a secondary school student was attacked by an elderly man in Tai Wai while promoting Friday's class boycott by secondary pupils.
Chow Kar-ho, 16, was attacked and suffered a cracked front tooth.
Chow Kar-ho, 16, suffered a broken tooth when an elderly man shoved the loudspeaker Chow was using into his face outside the Tai Wai MTR station on Mei Tin Road.
"We were really surprised,” Chow said. “These people accuse us of being violent but it turns out that they’re the violent ones. So now who are the red guards and gangsters?
“I’m not afraid of them. In fact, their attack has proved that what we have been doing is effective,” he added. Sha Tin detectives are investigating the case.
This morning several hundred university students gathered at Tamar Park for a public lecture session.
Civic Party lawmaker and international relations academic Kenneth Chan was among the speakers. He lectured on the democratic movement in Eastern Europe in the mid 20th century.
A spokesman for the chief executive released a statement at 10am, saying Leung Chun-ying and the government “understand and respect the students’ desire and persistence for democracy”.
The spokesman added that the government would push forward universal suffrage in Hong Kong in accordance with the decisions made by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, and would pursue next phase of consultation on the political reform soon.
Student representatives are due to meet on Friday to decide whether the week-long boycott should be extended.
On Thursday afternoon about a dozen parents staged a protest in Tamar Park, demanding talks with student leaders. Leticia Lee See-yin, one of the parents, said she had received 2,400 messages or emails from parents who had raised concerns about the class boycott campaign.
She expressed concern that the strike would set a negative example for younger school students.
