Edwin Hoi (middle) and Sulu Sou (right)
Several secondary and university students will organize a demonstration at Friendship Square today at 8pm to show solidarity with the protesters who are occupying major traffic arteries in Hong Kong.
Nevertheless, organizers claimed that the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) and the Public Security Police (PSP) have illegally restricted their right to protest.
Sulu Sou Ka Hou said that the organizers initially chose the lawn opposite the Legislative Assembly (AL) to organize the event. However, IACM and PSP suddenly invited them for a meeting yesterday at 6 p.m., which the IACM president Alex Vong also attended.
The authorities informed them that they couldn’t hold the demonstration there because the location is a popular place to watch the firework display tomorrow night in celebration of Chinese National Day.
Despite the fact that the organizers have proposed other venues that are in the same district, they were all rejected by IACM and PSP. “The IACM did not give a clear indication about what locations are people going to gather and watch the fireworks (…). Therefore, we could not decide whether to change our venue during the meeting”, he said.
Eventually, an IACM official showed the organizers a document that stated that they object to their request to hold the demonstration outside the AL.
Sulu Sou said that the objection issued by the authorities was not legal because it was issued less than 24 hours before the event takes place. He also stated that the Basic Law has given demonstrations priority over other civil events. The organizers, he said, may go to the Commission Against Corruption in the future to “discuss the issue”. Nevertheless, they decided to change the venue for the safety of the participants.
“It turns out [the demonstration] supporting the protest in Hong Kong is incompatible with the fireworks that celebrate National Day, just like [the fireworks and demonstrations] in Hong Kong”, he joked.
He estimated that there will be several hundred people joining the event tonight.
Edwin Hoi, a secondary student who is also the convener of the event, thinks that Macau is an indispensable part in the global effort in supporting the Hong Kong protestors. “Macau and Hong Kong are both SARs, we have a very close relationship. After this demonstration [tonight], we hope that people can continue to put their focus on the students in Hong Kong”, he concluded. JPL
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