Hundreds of students and Macau citizens joined a sit-in protest on National Day at Friendship Square to show solidarity for Hong Kong’s fight for democracy.
Student and organizer Edwin Hoi told the media that they decided to support Hong Kong’s students, as Occupy Central has become “a global event,” and solidarity demonstrations have been held in about 63 cities across the globe. “We hope that Hong Kong policemen won’t use any force towards the citizens and students anymore,” he added.
Scholar and member of the New Macau Association, Bill Chou, also joined the protest on Wednesday evening to support Hong Kong’s cause. He told TDM that this is a good opportunity for local residents to also demand for more democracy here in Macau.
Commenting on police action and the use of tear gas in the early days of the protest, Bill Chou said he believes the Hong Kong police “are under great pressure to withhold the use of violence after being widely criticized not only by locals but also by foreign entities.”
He added that if Hong Kong enjoys greater democracy, Macau might benefit from it too.
A Macau resident joining the sit-in said that she was not confident that Hong Kong police would withhold. Still, she believes that they should continue to support the movement until the government holds talks with students.
A group of secondary and university students organized the Macau sit-in at Friendship Square, although they were initially planning to hold the demonstration supporting Hong Kong’s fight for democracy on a lawn near the Legislative Assembly building. They claimed that the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau denied them their request, stating that the aforementioned location was a popular spot for tourists to watch the fireworks display. Organizers said they had suggested other venues nearby, but these were rejected too.
When negotiating the handover of Hong Kong from Britain, China’s leaders then agreed to a “one country, two systems” rule, preserving Western-style civil liberties and conveying broad autonomy, while also promising democracy and the possibility of universal suffrage.
However, now that Hong Kong has been discussing and negotiating its electoral reform, protesters say that China is reneging on a promise that the city’s Chief Executive would be chosen through universal suffrage.
Bloomberg reported that protesters in Hong Kong staged what may have been their biggest sit-in since rallies began, as close to 200,000 people gathered in three main protest areas on October 1, one student leader estimated.
Demonstrations in Hong Kong were prompted by China’s recent decision regarding universal suffrage in the HKSAR. Candidates running for the Chief Executive post in the 2017 election will have to be vetted by a committee, which pro-democracy groups say will ensure their obedience to China.
Protesters gave an ultimatum to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, CY Leung, on Thursday, urging him to step down. He held a press conference minutes before the midnight deadline, stating that he would not resign. CY Leung asked his Chief Secretary Carrie Lam to hold talks with the students. She said she would seek to meet protest leaders as soon as possible. CP
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