A group of volunteers have started putting up flyers and posters on Lennon Wall in downtown Hong Kong on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the so called Umbrella Revolution, a Sputnik correspondent reported
HONG KONG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th September, 2019) A group of volunteers have started putting up flyers and posters on Lennon Wall in downtown Hong Kong on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the so called Umbrella Revolution, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
In September 2014, Hong Kong faced a series of sit-in street protests, which were a reaction to the proposed reform of the city's election system. The Umbrella Movement - a term coined in reference to umbrellas allegedly used by protesters for defense against police seeking to disperse them - demanded universal suffrage. The demonstrations lasted for 79 days before the last remaining occupied areas were cleared by police. Back then, Lennon Wall became a landmark place for protesters, who still regularly put pro-democracy sticky notes on it.
Today, the volunteers mostly dressed in black attires worked together efficiently with some spraying the paint and others putting up flyers right after.
Apart from calls to commemorate the anniversary of the 2014 protests, the posters speak about the alleged repression by the central government in Beijing and urge the public to join rallies slated for the next few days, including on Chinese National Day on October 1.
A public rally to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2014 protests is expected to be held in Tamar Park next to the local government's office in the evening.
Over the past few months, Hong Kong has been facing a new wave of pro-democracy rallies. This time, activists demonstrate against proposed amendments to the city's extradition law. Protests often turn violent after demonstrators begin engaging in clashes with the police.
In early September, the controversial extradition bill was formally withdrawn. However, protesters continue rallying, demanding universal suffrage, an end to legal procedures against fellow demonstrators and an investigation into alleged police violence. The law enforcers strongly deny any claims of disproportionate use of force.
Beijing views the situation in Hong Kong as a result of foreign interference in China's domestic affairs and expresses full support for the actions of the local authorities.
